Some years ago I attended a seminar on forest practices and came away with the customary information pack and memento of the event which, in this instance was a plastic six-inch ruler, a far cry from the 2GB memory sticks to be had these days!
“Why plastic?” I asked. Wood rulers had been the preferred option but unfortunately were a bit too expensive! “Surely, better to have done without,” I ventured.
Last year another memento to come my way was a ballpoint pen presented on behalf of a wood company; it was indeed a plastic ballpoint pen with company and contact details appropriately printed on it.
We have a pen with Canada Wood UK contact details printed on them; it is a wood pen, it is even maple and we were advised from a certified legal and sustainable source but we didn’t follow up for a chain of custody certificate. So, is it wiser to not give away wood pens for fear of provenance being questioned?
It is, of course, all about choice and, with a wealth of products on the market, do you buy cheap or do you buy appropriate?
On a visit to a manufacturing facility I was asked why the UK was not buying their product any more. Too expensive, I’m afraid; cheaper is available from elsewhere – but I still received a very nice shirt with a tastefully discreet company logo, together with the garment label proudly proclaiming “Made in China”. “Why do you not source your shirts locally?” I asked.
Dear reader, you know the answer!
In the UK we really don’t do enough to support the ‘home’ cause, do we? Pens and plywood brought this mini-rant on! Cheap… or appropriate?
Incidentally, the 2GB memory stick referred to above is encased in wood – full marks to B&K Timber Structures!
