Sustainability goes local

Summary
• Local authorities are not obliged to adopt sustainable timber procurement policies and in north-east England, for instance, only two out of 45 have one.
• Suppliers can encourage their council to follow the model of central government procurement policy.
•The government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber can help, running free workshops on sustainable sourcing.
• Central government departments and agencies spend £3bn on new buildings and refurbishments annually.

Deforestation accounts for about a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire global transport sector. Efforts that succeed in reducing illegal logging will make a big difference to people’s lives and can help us tackle climate change. Our timber procurement policy is one tool used by the government to support our commitment to addressing these issues.

Clearly you want to buy legal and sustainable timber as this is good for your business and it’s good for ours too. Each year government departments and agencies spend in the region of £3bn on new buildings and major refurbishments. The government has set estate-wide sustainability standards for the construction and refurbishment of buildings and sustainable timber is part of that.

Our commitment for 2008 is to continue policy implementation but part of this strategy is to encourage other public bodies that are not mandated, particularly local authorities, to adopt timber procurement policies. Therefore we need to work with you to encourage sustainable timber procurement and supply to the local government estate.

A recent survey funded by Defra and conducted by Chatham House with the support of the North East Timber Trade Association, suggested that only two out of the 45 local authorities in the region have sustainable timber procurement policies. Clearly there is scope for improvement and that is where you can help.

Timber industry role

Very often you have more direct contact with the buyers than we do. You can encourage your local authority customers to develop a timber procurement policy by highlighting the significant benefits associated with buying sustainable timber. Suppliers can signpost central government policy as a model to follow. This policy requires government departments to procure legal and sustainable wood and other forest products for use on the government estate – covering everything from office paper and furniture, through to temporary hoardings, structural timber and timber finishes.

Some companies are already talking to local authorities and they report that contracts are more likely to be renewed where they have encouraged local authorities to buy sustainable timber in the first place.

Free advice

Specialist expertise for public sector suppliers is on hand. The Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) runs free regional workshops, a website and an enquiry hotline (tel: 01865 243 766) funded by Defra, DFID, other government departments and the devolved administrations. The workshops – routinely advertised on the website www.ProForest.net/cpet – cover a range of themes around timber procurement policy and implementation, including responsible purchasing, model contract requirements, definitions and types of evidence available and how you check them.

The Timber Trade Federation has described the UK government’s timber procurement policy as an important driver in removing illegal timber from the supply chain. With central government accounting for around 10% of all timber consumption in the UK, our timber policy plays a vital role in promoting sustainability. Adding local authority timber consumption, this figure rises to around 40%. There is considerable scope for suppliers to promote their business. We need to work with you to create an environmental “butterfly effect”, encouraging further demand for sustainable timber from across the public sector.