One of the messages Peter Hindle was keen to put across at the event was Jewson’s zero tolerance approach to illegal timber and products that purport to be fit for purpose but aren’t.
Plywood from non-ethical sources is a particular focus and Jewson’s current policy is not to stock any, despite the commercial disadvantage this confers. “When 30% of the plywood market is from non-ethical sources and we don’t sell any it sometimes puts us at commercial risk,” said Mr Hindle. “But if it’s not ethically and legally sourced and not fit for purpose, we don’t want the Jewson name on it.”
It was a message reinforced at the suppliers’ exhibition, with one SGBD stand displaying a banner saying “Warning! Say no to illegal plywood” and advising customers not to be seduced by lower prices for “uncertified plywood from sub-standard mills”.
It’s a mantra that is repeated throughout the company, from board level at Saint-Gobain’s Paris headquarters, through to the yard managers and fork lift truck drivers at branch level, said Andy Moseley, market director – timber.
Part of his remit is to educate Jewson’s customers to the fact that “not all products are equal”.
“It’s a competitive market and price inevitably features highly in customers’ buying decisions,” he said. “With other products, such as cement or insulation, there are strong brands that create some value but it’s harder to do that with timber.
“Certification and chain of custody add value to timber but it’s a less tangible benefit and we want to help our customers understand the difference [between sustainable and unsustainable timber] so that they value certified wood,” said Mr Moseley.
Sensitive handling
That education process has to be handled sensitively as builders won’t usually admit to not knowing something, so Jewson is taking the enlightenment-by-osmosis approach. One key ‘training aid’ is the Sustainable Building Guide which, along with the Greenworks Academy, won Jewson the TTJ Environmental Achievement Award last year.
The guide covers renewable technology but also encourages builders to adopt the “fabric first” approach by showing how selecting products that are produced more sustainably, take less energy to manufacture and use less energy once installed can have a big impact on a building’s environmental scorecard.
Now, a new timber-specific publication is being distributed throughout the branch network. The Pocket Guide to Timber provides a concise explanation of the concept of sustainable wood, Jewson’s timber procurement policy (revamped for 2012) and chain of custody. It summarises the company’s timber product range and provides advice on joinery timber, engineered wood, stress grading, treatments, cladding, decking, flooring, windows and fire doors and points people in the direction of web-based learning at the Greenworks Gateway and to relevant trade organisations – the Timber Decking & Cladding Association, for example.
It also lists all Jewson branches with cutting, planing, milling and treatment facilities.
Building value
The guide, which was produced following joint research with the Swedish Wood Council and which has been checked for technical accuracy by TRADA, will build value around the product, said Mr Moseley. “It will help customers understand that, yes, they’re buying a piece of timber but they’re getting a lot more with it. And certification and chain of custody are as much a part of the added value as cross-cutting or stress grading.”
Jewson exceeded its timber certification target by more than 10% last year. Certified timber levels rose to 90.8% and more than 90% of its timber products are also chain of custody certified. All its branches are PEFC, FSC and BM TRADA Forest Products chain of custody certified.
“It was a huge commitment but we did it,” said Ms Broadley, SGBD chain of custody scheme manager (and winner of the 2009 TTJ Career Development Award).
“We had a definite process, agreed by the certification body, and knew exactly what we needed to do in stages which enabled us to achieve our target.”
