The timber sector could benefit from the government’s new Strategy for Sustainable Construction. But, according to key industry organisations, to capitalise on its advantages in renewability and certification, it also has to confont other sustainability challenges.
Unveiled last week, the new strategy sets building sector targets from improving training and health and safety levels, to procurement efficiency, biodiversity and water conservation.
On materials, the strategy presents government timber procurement policy – with all its purchases from 2009 having to be from legal and sustainable sources – as a template for other materials sectors, adding that 25% of all construction products must be “responsibly sourced” by 2012.
Timber Trade Federation chief executive John White welcomed the government initiative. “The focus on sustainable sourcing is especially positive because wood ticks all the boxes,” he said. “Although we need clarification on whether the 25% target is for each material, or whether builders will be able to comply by saying that the 25% of sustainable material they buy is the timber.”
British Woodworking Federation chief executive Richard Lambert also said that the strategy could benefit the industry, but that “it can’t just assume, on the basis of its products’ renewability, that it’s in an inherently better position”.
The sector had to understand the “holistic nature” of government strategy.
“We can’t focus on the target for construction to cut CO2 emissions by 15% and use 25% sustainably sourced materials by 2012 and assume we’ve reached the promised land, “said Mr Lambert. “We have to look at the wider picture, notably the aim to cut construction waste by 50% by the same deadline.”
The latter, he maintained, posed one of the biggest challenges.
“We still have little understanding of the end of life process because we’ve never taken responsibility for it,” said Mr Lambert. “We have to tackle life cycle analysis and that means investing money.”
Mr White agreed: “We must accept that, in waste management, our customers’ problems are now our problems too”.