May’s general election followed by the UN Climate Summit in Paris in November are set to throw further focus on two major political issues facing the UK – the need for a rapid solution to the housing crisis and a renewed focus on tackling climate change.
Housing is going to be a key battleground for the 2015 general election. With local authorities already being asked to identify areas which are available for development, the timber industry needs to communicate that building low-carbon homes does not have to entail high costs. The Paris climate change talks will also be a major theme for industry and media alike throughout the year, placing more focus on the need for low-carbon practices throughout the whole economy, including manufacturing and construction.
Of course, we in the timber industry are well aware that wood can provide part of the solution to both problems. Timber frame construction can slash weeks off house building times, while delivering more sustainable and more comfortable homes. Wood’s status as a natural carbon store, means constructing more of our built environment with timber can also lock away millions of tonnes of CO2.
However, getting that message through to external audiences is another matter.
This will require a paradigm shift in how the timber industry approaches marketing.
For too long, our communications as an industry have looked ‘backwards’ to the forests instead of the many beneficial end uses of timber. This isn’t to say that stimulating investment in sustainable forestry and promoting the rural economy aren’t important objectives, they of course are.
However the route to achieving this is to focus on the growing an understanding of the beneficial applications of timber. In order to engage with markets that are preoccupied with ‘downstream’ outcomes, our focus needs to be on how timber’s many benefits play out in its end-uses – issues such as cost, the sustainability of production and manufacturing, and the speed of construction are all significant benefits which need to be highlighted.
This mentality was the driver behind the creation of our LCA database – to help the industry engage with architects and specifiers on their own terms, with the information that matters to them. Contractors, specifiers and planning departments are actively seeking it out to argue increased use of timber based on terms their clients can understand.
We now also need to identify and champion additional sectors in which timber can make new inroads. The interior refurbishment market for example is often overlooked in favour of the new-build sector.
This is in spite of the fact that interiors are where most timber products in the UK are used, from flooring and furniture to fit-outs and refurbishments.
This year Wood for Good is planning to develop our carbon message in this sector, and we’ll need the industry to work with us to provide case studies, product showcases and insights to highlight the versatility of timber and some of the innovative ways it can be used in interiors. I’m looking forward to sharing more details on this in the near future.
I think we can demonstrate that the end markets we develop here in the UK, and the role we play as an industry, provides a solution to emissions storage, a large income stream back to the forests to keep them well managed and kept standing, while simultaneously providing the beautiful products, rooms and homes that are in demand.
I think that is a campaign to unite all of the different aspects of the timber industry. And I hope you will all consider supporting Wood for Good in 2015.
