It’s a hackneyed media phrase but, like it or not, we do live in a global village. Modern communications and 24-hour TV news mean that we all know what’s going on the other side of the world the moment it happens, if not sooner.
Another reality is that consumers don’t overly differentiate between timber types. They may select an oak or a birch floor because they like the colour or grain, or consciously choose a hardwood for their dining furniture. But when it comes to perceptions of this industry, most still don’t seem to break it down into its component parts; temperate and tropical, hardwood and softwood. The popular view is that the timber industry is the timber industry.
Put these two factors together and the consequence is that none of us can afford to relax on the issues of the timber industry’s global environmental performance or certification. Thanks to the greens’ expert use of the media, a perceived timber sector problem in one part of the world soon hits the headlines everywhere else. And, in the public’s eye, the whole industry is implicated.
This message came across at the London Softwood Club Environmental Forum. In fact, Ian Goldsmith of Travis Perkins contended that merchants soon won’t be able to sell unless they can prove all their timber is from legal, sustainable sources.
The UK industry is already one of the most advanced on certification, and TTF members’ use of the Tropical Forest Trust to evaluate the environmental performance of Indonesian plywood suppliers shows it is taking a global perspective on the issues.
As the LSC heard, the momentum now has to be sustained, and even increased. That way the trade will help set the environmental agenda and won’t be railroaded into a particular certification scheme. It will also help get the message to consumers that timber is, in fact, the only truly sustainable construction and manufacturing material.
