The timber industry has “a great story to tell”, according to Dr Peter Bonfield, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) leader of construction products, but is facing the challenge of competing material suppliers who are rapidly improving their own sustainability credentials.
Speaking at The Timber Trade Federation’s International and UK Suppliers Division annual lunch at Claridges in London on May 21, Dr Bonfield, who is also BRE chief executive, said timber is “out in front at the moment because of all the work done in the forests”. But, he cautioned, “other industries which haven’t had to do this are coming up behind fast”.
To counter this, he said the timber trade needed to “communicate what you’ve done in a way that works for the customer base”.
“Other industries are much more straightforward,” he said. “If you want steel, you just go to Corus. The concrete industry is also very well organised. The timber industry, however, is very complicated and it would be helpful to have unified representation.”
The Code for Sustainable Homes and the 2012 London Olympics presented great opportunities for timber, said Dr Bonfield.
“The market is there for what you can deliver – it’s all there for the taking. You have a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on a wonderful resource, a wonderful range of products and a well networked trade, if only you can communicate [that],” he said.
