Natural advantage needs scientific endorsement

Do you remember the big issues in 2002?

The joinery industry was struggling with new Building Regulations, having failed to realise that the political determination to drive up the energy efficiency provisions would trump all other arguments. Greenpeace’s invasion of the Cabinet Office had suddenly made responsible sourcing of timber a political issue which would influence every subsequent procurement decision. The entire construction sector was under pressure to improve its health and safety record. And small businesses were trying to square the government’s words of encouragement with the welter of regulation they had to deal with. But the construction market was picking up speed, there were already signs that the rhetoric of rejuvenating the public sector would be matched by investment in building. And above all, wood was turning fashionable again.

I came into this environment as the new director of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), fresh and enthusiastic, but aware that the members I had met were slightly puzzled that someone with my background had been given the job – or indeed would want it. As one said, I was not “a wood-sniffer”. I was a fresh pair of eyes and a different voice. As I prepare to take my leave at the end of September, I can take pride in how far the BWF and the industry has moved forward.

New challenges

But each success reveals new challenges. For example, we’re more politically aware, better connected, and so can influence regulation rather than wait for it to hit. We’ve used our relationships with umbrella organisations such as the Construction Products Association to amplify a relatively small voice. The BWF is actively shaping the 2013 revision of the Building Regulations, sitting on the departmental advisory group.

However, as an industry, the timber sector still lacks political understanding and lacks sufficient investment in public affairs and representation.

The spread of chain of custody certification throughout the timber sector is a remarkable success story. Customers now expect it as a matter of course. But in too many cases it has been treated as an external imposition rather than an opportunity to bolster credibility. Certification should be a given.

The timber-using industries are acutely aware of the environmental sustainability credentials of their raw materials. But there has been an assumption this natural advantage is enough; that there’s no need to prove it with research data or look at improving environmental impact. Then I hear protests when competitor materials successfully find other routes to claim sustainability.

It is a mistake to assume timber will sell on its environmental credentials. First and foremost, the customer has to be confident that the product will work as well as any of its competitors. Only then can you bring this USP to differentiate.

Total environmental impact

There is too much emphasis on low carbon, because it works in our favour. It’s today’s issue because enough people have finally grasped it. The key to the future is total environmental impact. There’s still not enough work being done on life cycle assessment and whole life costing to understand how to continue to improve, and how to shape the marketing message.

We learned this the hard way when we had to get environmental profiles for windows for the Green Guide to maintain our ability to compete with PVCu windows. The results underpinned the marketing campaigns and instigated our work on resource efficiency and managing waste.

The BWF and Wood Window Alliance’s research relied on the co-operation of the whole window supply chain. Like the way old institutional rivalries were put aside for the Wood for Gold campaign, it showed what could be done, despite the serious fragmentation in the wood supply chain.

But I’ve often felt that the joinery industry is overlooked by the rest of the timber sector, which gets much more excited by structural timber than it does about the products which most people encounter in their daily lives – doors, windows, staircases. Those in the timber supply and merchant industry who think about how they support their customers and the end users are the exceptions when they should be the rule.

It is admittedly easier for trade association executives, removed from the commercial fray, to take a wider perspective. The challenge for my successor and my association colleagues is to persuade the industry of the many opportunities that still exist to be seized. I’m sure the BWF will continue to lead on the issues of most importance to the joinery and woodworking sector, and I wish them – and you – luck for the future.