Responding to compliance assessment of HVP’s certifying body

October 29, 2025

Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP) has reviewed the findings of the compliance assessment of SCS Global Services conducted by Assurance Services International (ASI). While the assessment reviewed our certifying body, some of the findings reference our operations. This assessment was conducted four months ago, and HVP has already taken onboard a number of improvements.

Maintaining the integrity of our certification processes is essential to our sustainability goals and to the trust placed in us by our stakeholders. HVP is proud of our people and the passion they bring to our business, and continuous improvement is a cornerstone to our way of working.

HVP Estate

HVP manages an estate of 242,000 hectares across Victoria, Australia. This includes:

• 174,000 hectares (70%) in plantation timber production.
• 47,000 hectares (20%) of native forest protected for conservation.
• The remaining area includes infrastructure, roads (15,000kms), and buffer zones.
• An average of seven million seedlings planted by hand each year as we replenish our harvested plantations.

All sites that are planned for future plantation timber production are planted with radiata pine.

Commitment to environmental integrity

HVP protects threatened ecological communities and species, including Cool and Warm Temperate Rainforest and the Slender Tree Fern. Work is already underway to improve our impact assessments, especially in the Strzelecki Ranges.

We are actively reviewing our High Conservation Value identification and protection protocols, taking advice from independent experts into consideration.

Fellas Track

As previously announced, HVP has made the following decisions related to Fellas Track at Turtons Creek:

• The harvested plantation area at Fellas Track will no longer be managed for timber production.
• Instead, it will be regenerated to native forest.
• A 19-hectare area of eucalypt plantation at the site will not be harvested.

HVP will continue to engage with affected stakeholders to understand their concerns, needs, and rights. These actions reflect our commitment to listening, learning, and adapting our practices to better align with community expectations and environmental values.

Stakeholder engagement and transparency

We understand some stakeholders want clearer access to operational plans and engagement in coupe-level planning. HVP will improve transparency by:

• Continuing to engage with stakeholders and make relevant information available to affected stakeholders, excluding confidential information.
• Creating clearer pathways for stakeholder engagement.
• Working with experts and community representatives to enhance management approaches.

Maintaining certification and accountability

Third-party certification has always been, and continues to be, an integral part of HVP’s business. We are committed to maintaining certification and engaging within relevant frameworks, and with certifying bodies. This approach aligns with our values, including that we will do things better tomorrow than we did today.

Looking ahead

Trust underpins our relationship with investors, partners, customers, stakeholders, and communities. We manage our plantations and forested areas to exceed certification standards and uphold strong environmental and social performance.

We’ll keep working with stakeholders to strengthen our practices and protect Victoria’s environment, while supporting a sustainable plantation sector that supplies quality fibre to Australia and the world.

Contact

For further information or to provide feedback, please contact HVP.