Timbmet Silverman has withdrawn from membership of The Timber Trade Federation citing “concerns” about the direction and value of the organisation.

Simon Fineman, the company’s chief executive, said: “This is a sad but necessary decision. We have been concerned about the value provided by the TTF for some time, particularly during its recent upheavals.

“This concern was amplified when the TTF recently voted not to make the Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP) mandatory for all its members.

“We believe the role of a trade body is to take a strong stand on issues of principle for the whole timber trade and the RPP is an important process – it should not be an optional choice.”

He said Timbmet’s policies already match or exceed RPP requirements and the company has one of the largest environmental departments in the industry, showing its commitment to the issue.

&#8220We still support the need for a professional, unified timber industry trade body, capable of representing the industry’s best interests”

Simon Fineman, Timbmet chief executive

Mr Fineman said as a long-standing member of the TTF, the company very much regrets the decision and will review it on an annual basis.

“We still support the need for a professional, unified timber industry trade body, capable of representing the industry’s best interests and we will continue to support other industry initiatives, such as wood. for good.”

  • Travis Perkins and Crown Timber have also resigned from the TTF. For full story see next week’s TTJ.