There are theories doing the media rounds that the post-recession economy will be a cosier place. The financial sector, chastened by its ‘greed is good’ philosophy getting us into this mess in the first place, will be more socially aware and, not to be outdone, business generally will be more caring and cuddlier. Of course, a lot of this looks like mid-slump wishful thinking. In fact, a London Porsche dealer just forecast a bumper Christmas, thanks to City bonuses surging once more.
But one forecast that doesn’t trigger images of pigs in flight is that businesses after the downturn will put an ever greater emphasis on environmental performance, and that’s because it will be due to commercial and political pressure as much as conscience. The slump has made us all more aware of the need to cut waste and save resources and, the belief is, this will become a permanent change in consumer outlook.
For timber that creates new market potential, but also new pressures, all summed up in the Forest Footprint Disclosure Project (FFDP). This new initiative clearly highlights the move to a greener economy, telling companies if they are contributing to deforestation and, if they are, how to stop.
The impact for timber is twofold. It will further flag up the urgency of dealing with the erosion of the forest resource, for which the timber sector is still held partly culpable, and may also boost demand for certified timber, as the FFDP urges using only certified to minimise the risk of involvement in deforestation.
Against this background there will be an even greater onus on the sector not only to step up forestry and timber certification, but also to make its wider environmental case.
The good news here is that the first international timber wood promotion conference is set to take place in October, with a central topic being the image of timber in a low carbon economy. Further cause for optimism is the relaunch of the UK’s wood for good campaign this month, which will also have timber’s eco image at its heart.
Perhaps the record entry total for the 2009 TTJ Achievement in Sustainability Award also highlights that individual timber businesses are aware of the green challenge ahead and already rising to it.
