A call for a “wood first” rule in publicly-funded build projects forms part of a new “Timber Industry Manifesto” being launched this month.
Wood for Good’s new manifesto, endorsed by several timber and wood product trade organisations, is being launched at the Timber Expo show.
The “wood first” rule requires wood to be considered, where feasible, as the primary building material in all publicly-funded projects.
This has echoes of a system in France, where the construction sector has to use a minimum of 20dcm³ of wood per m² of a build, taking into account all wood products in a building.
The manifesto also calls for a public endorsement of timber as an eco-material by the UK government.
The document seeks to establish the case for increasing wood use in the built environment due to the material’s sustainability credentials.
It is divided into three sections and concludes with seven policy demands which, it says, will help create a “more sustainable UK”.
Trade federations which have agreed to endorse the manifesto include The Timber Trade Federation, Swedish Forestry Industry Association, ConFor, British Woodworking Federation, Wood Window Alliance, Wood Protection Association, UK Timber Frame Association, Trussed Rafter Association, Timber Decking and Cladding Association, Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation, Wood Panel Industries Federation and TRADA.
Wood for Good is hoping additional organisations will endorse the manifesto before it is issued to key political contacts and stakeholders over the coming months.
“The manifesto has evolved from being a Wood for Good project into something which the whole industry can now claim to be its own,” said John Kissock, chairman of Wood for Good.
“Speaking on behalf of such a large section of the sector gives the manifesto enormous weight.”
He said Wood for Good’s lobbying machine was now in full swing, while a new website is nearing completion and education work has included an update of its CPD seminars.
