Companies that do not care about the environmental credentials of their timber have no place in The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and no place in the timber industry, TTF chief executive John White said this week.
“We don’t want any bad apples,” Mr White said in his address to the London Softwood Club on Thursday.
While timber’s green credentials were its unique selling point, they could also be its Achilles heel. “If there’s one area where we are still a little weak, it’s the policing of our industry,” he said.
And while sustainable wood was “a great story”, the industry was slow to embrace this in its marketing.
“I don’t detect a company approach to marketing that uses this USP to really sell the product,” said Mr White.
This may be because of the perception of timber as a commodity, but “we must add value and this can be done by company values or using the USP of wood,” he said.
And he dismissed complaints that there was no demand for certified timber or that people were not prepared to pay a higher price. “This doesn’t really wash with me. Companies create demand and when you create demand for certified timber, you can sell more,” said Mr White.
It was not all about price, he added, but reputation. “People are inclined to pay more when they are dealing with a good company.”
Mr White also addressed the issue of industry fragmentation. The industry was not well served by the large number of different organisations, which competed for resources and for attention “when we are all saying the same thing”.
“It dissipates our strength,” he said.
He cited the aggregates industry’s move to form one, large association, and applauded the Norton House meeting in Scotland last year where the various timber associations agreed to work more closely together on promotion, education and political lobbying.
