Timber is a responsible choice
Consumers and professionals want to be assured that the timber products they specify or purchase are coming from responsibly and sustainably managed forests.
But with multiple certification schemes available in Australia, it’s hard to know what the best environmental choice is. When selecting timber, first and foremost, consumers must select timber that holds sustainability certification. Forest certification shows that a timber product has come from a responsibly and sustainably managed forest. The two largest internationally recognised forest certification schemes are PEFC and FSC.
Buying Locally Certified Timber
But in addition to certification, there is a second important consideration – to purchase a local timber. When you buy local, the timber is from a nearby forest and not being transported across the world, therefore creating a smaller carbon footprint.
It is also being managed in accordance with local values. Choosing timber that carries the Responsible Wood brand is the best choice for Australian specifiers and consumers because it incorporates PEFC certification and meets Australian standards.
Tasmanian timber, which has Responsible Wood certification, has PEFC certification at its core, but additional checks and balances in the system to ensure it meets our very high environmental standards. For example, Chain of Custody certification follows a tree harvested in a sustainably managed Tasmanian forest to the mill, into a board and then a finished product.
This ensures that the entire supply chain is also meeting the same high standards. Chain of Custody allows the consumer to track the end product they are purchasing right back to the sustainably managed forest that it has come from. This very high level of rigour combined with our world-class forest practices system is held with very high regard internationally.
Meeting Australian values also means supporting our local economy. Buying Responsible Wood means you are buying Australian timber for the Australian marketplace. So, when purchasing Tasmanian Timber, consumers can be confident that they’re getting a piece of timber from a local forest that is both certified sustainable and meets Australia’s environmental and social values.
Tasmanian Timber Webinar Series
Shedding more light on the topic of certification, the Tasmanian Timber Webinar Series will be co-hosted this month with Responsible Wood.
The webinar will take place on Wednesday the 23rd of September at 1pm AEST and is open to all Australian specifiers.
Responsible Wood’s Jason Ross explains:
“More and more, specifiers are looking to do the right thing and making informed decisions on purchase decisions.”
‘The Webinar provides Responsible Wood with an opportunity to connect with decision-makers and provide specifiers with key information as it relates to forest certification,’ Mr Ross says.
And when it comes to timber and paper-based products, tracing the Responsible Wood and PEFC claims on products is critical.
“Responsible Wood and/or PEFC claims on product has been largely misunderstood by specifiers.”
“Whilst sourcing timber and paper-based products from sustainably managed forests is a positive step, a Responsible Wood or PEFC formal claim on the product traces forest products from the forest, and through Chain of Custody.”
“When it comes to Responsible Wood and PEFC, a formal claim on product is the gold standard,’ says Mr Ross.
Now more than ever, the use of Australian timber and design should be celebrated. Supporting Australian has never been more critical, for the sustainability of our economy as well as our planet.
Register Now
These webinars will equip architects, designers and specifiers with the knowledge needed to confidently specify a local and sustainable material that will withstand the test of time.
