As an industry we could be making more of our environmental credentials – particularly among local authorities and housing associations. They are at the forefront of sustainable procurement and use their purchasing policies to implement their environmental commitments under Local Agenda 21 and other government requirements.
We should ensure they know that using timber for construction and maintenance is the easiest way to do this. Wood is more environmentally beneficial throughout its service life than any other building material and is the only building material that has to prove its environmental credentials.
Due to their green purchasing policies, many public sector clients are already switching to wood windows or buying materials and components on the basis of life cycle performance and whole life costs.
Unlike private developers, a housing association or local authority is likely to retain responsibility for maintaining new buildings long after construction. It is vital they understand the real cost of maintenance and don’t reject timber or timber frame construction on the basis of initial costs. Over a building’s life, timber costs less to maintain or replace than apparently cheaper alternatives.
The Building Research Establishment carried out a study to compare the life cycle impacts of timber, and concluded that “timber and wood-based components have excellent environmental performance and their whole life environmental performance is often better than that of alternative materials”. That study took account of every aspect of the process, from growing and harvesting, to manufacture, transport, fabrication, installation and maintenance.
It is up to the industry to ensure that buyers, specifiers and clients have the information they need to make product comparisons, including realistic whole life costs for popular products, plus reassurance that the timber they are specifying originates from sustainably managed forests with credible, independent, third-party certification.
We have the evidence that in terms of life cycle impact timber compares favourably with other materials. We should make sure potential clients have it too.
