For some time now, the wood industry has shifted its focus from product trading to sustainable and environmental concerns.
The French wood industry has been a pioneer of that change and has anticipated that worldwide concern: sustainable managed forest programmes were set up hundreds of years ago and France also initiated a PEFC certification scheme. French forests have increased by 35% in the past 50 years while keeping their biodiversity, and wood standing volume in forest is still increasing every year.
Thanks to that and to quality assured wood products, the wood industry brings its share of answers and solutions to the problem of climate change.
Wood products are used for their unique characteristics but also because wood is trendy. This is especially true for the UK and France. With its environmental qualities and its energy efficiency, wood is becoming the ideal material for the building, furniture and interior furnishing industries.
However, this increase in wood consumption should be watched carefully by the industry. Awareness of the final consumer should not only focus on trends but also on the unique characteristics of wood. By making wood not only a fashion product but also the number one ecological solution to consumer’s environmental concerns, the industry will manage to create a sustainable trade in the sector.
The UK and France are facing a common risk: increased consumption puts more attention on the ethics in the wood industry. Consumer education regarding truly sustainably managed forests and the need to harvest forests should be the priority.
The UK and France are natural partners when it comes to promoting and selling wood products. We share the same taste for wood flooring and timber frame construction but we also have a clear understanding of what sustainability means.
On that common goal to provide the end user with a reliable, cost-efficient, natural, quality assured and sustainable material, there are many more opportunities for a greater entente cordiale between the UK and French timber industries.
