Over a year in development, the free online resource (www.woodforgood.com/sustainability) is targeted at construction professionals, specifiers and the timber sector, and will go live at a special event at the London Building Centre on April 7. The launch, expected to attract an audience of over 100, forms part of the UK Green Building Council’s Embodied Carbon Week, which has the theme "Life Cycle Analysis – seeing the whole picture".
The database has been developed through close consultation with timber sector organisations, contractors’ groups, architects, engineers, and construction sector professional institutions.
The LCA material was collated and assessed by international sustainability consultancy PE International, which also undertook a major LCA study of US hardwoods for the American Hardwood Export Council. And the latter added its findings to the Wood for Good project.
The new website covers a wide range of timber products, detailing their environmental impacts from cradle to grave.
"Built environment professionals will be able to use the data to make informed decisions about the materials they choose, and model the impacts they will have on project life-cycle performance," said Wood for Good project director David Hopkins.
Next, timber businesses will also be able to use information and tools on the site to develop their own Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which some in the construction sector are already requesting as part of their specification criteria. Timber technical performance information will also be added, to make it an all round specification tool.
"Our ongoing aim is to create a free, one-stop hub containing all the enviromental and design data that customers need," said Mr Hopkins. "When they see the facts, we’re confident specifiers will choose wood first."
Funding and support for Wood First Plus has come from Scottish Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland, the Timber Trade Federation and TRADA.
