The sustainability agenda is “manna from heaven” for timber but if the industry messes up the opportunity it will not be trusted in future, Timber Trade Federation (TTF) president Martin Gale said last week.
Speaking to an audience of 156 at the Western Timber Association dinner on Friday, Mr Gale said demand for wood was increasing but “our Achilles’ heel is the reputation of the husbandry of our wood supply chain”. And he added that competitors in the construction products industry would use “every ability” to expose that weakness.
“They have much more powerful lobbying organisations and much more cash. We have to be robust and honest about our husbandry,” said Mr Gale.
He hailed as brave the TTF’s stance on making compliance to its Responsible Purchasing Policy mandatory for all members.
“That’s a substantial and robust guarantee we can make to customers,” he said.
“It’s manna from heaven so let’s make the most of the opportunity. If we mess up this opportunity then I don’t think people are going to trust this trade in future.”
Mr Gale also argued that a more focused industry representation, such as a wood council, would benefit timber.
“We have too many organisations in the timber industry. We’re getting a dispersed message out, especially to politicians. All our competitors have one representation,” he said.
