The UK construction industry is “reluctant” to specify sustainable timber products, a Scottish timber industry executive has told an EC workshop in Berlin.
Fraser Steele, managing director of Methven-based Glenalmond Timber Company Ltd, also told the Public Procurement and Forest Certification workshop that approved UK contractors were not committed to attaining chain of custody certification (CoC)
Mr Steele, speaking to an audience including representatives from the EC, national governments, certification schemes, and exporters from developing countries, said that about 1,500 UK merchants had CoC but there were only 12 approved building contractors with certification.
This situation, combined with a lack of certified timber specification by local authorities, had created a bottleneck for certified timber.
He said afterwards: “If we do not make things more clear and concise for procurement officers, it’s just going to open the door to timber coming from dubious sources, with dubious evidence of chain of custody.”
Mr Steele advocates full CoC from forest to end client; mandatory specification of sustainable timber for all government funded contracts; audits to ensure compliance; and penalties for non-fulfillment.
He also presented a case study on Dundee City Council’s “model approach” to timber procurement.
Mr Steele said until last month Dundee had a disappointing sustainable timber record, with a contractor survey finding inaccurate claims and misleading evidence from non-CoC merchants and contractors.
But following a public procurement seminar in May involving Glenalmond, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK, BM TRADA and Greenpeace, the council now stipulates a minimum of 75% FSC timber for all contracts and an approved timber supplier list to accompany tenders.
Dundee also has methods for evaluating sustainable content of bids and contractors are audited.
