Responsible Purchasing Policy Hailed as Success

Forests Forever Chairman Jermain Cheetham, of Wolseley, has hailed the success of the Timber Trade Federation’s flagship Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP), following the publication of the RPP Annual Report. Jermain said: “I applaud RPP signatories for the excellent job they’ve done in increasing the volume of purchases from certified and legally verified sources. When companies like Wolseley look at the responsible sourcing of products, I can honestly say the timber industry is still ahead of the game.” The RPP is a tool which

provides timber and wood- based products purchasers with the confidence that they are sourcing these materials from companies which have a risk management system in

place to minimise the possibility of illegal timber entering their supply chain. The RPP Annual Report, based on signatories’ 2009 submissions, demonstrates clear progress in increasing the proportion of certified and Third Party Legally Verified purchases. In total, 80.5% of all products purchased by volume were certified, almost double the figure for 2007, and a further 6.5% were Third Party Legally Verified. The targets set by signatories suggest that this proportion will increase further. The RPP Report also

provides a breakdown for hardwoods, softwoods and panel products. As expected, given the diverse supply sources for hardwoods, the level of certification and third party legal verification is relatively low compared to the

other product groups. However, the proportion of hardwood products in these categories is expected to deliver the most rapid growth in the future, according to signatories a 30-40% increase in volume of certified or verified legal is predicted for the coming year. The high level of certification of softwood products (over 97%) is expected to increase slightly, whilst panel products are expected to show a clear increasing trend in the level of certified purchases from their current level of 68%. Rachel Butler, TTF Head of Sustainability, said: “The Responsible Purchasing Policy is a cornerstone of the timber industry’s commitment to tackling environmental issues and it’s great to know that progress is still being made and it’s genuinely making a difference.” The full report is available on request.

UKTFA Launches Fabric First Website

The UK Timber

Frame Association (UKTFA) has launched www.fabricfirst.co.uk, a new website designed to promote the benefits of timber as the preferred construction method. The website, unveiled as

part of the UKTFA’s Fabric First campaign launch, highlights the importance of using timber frame as the core fabric in a building to deliver a host of key benefits including sustainability, high thermal performance and cost efficiency.

Self-builders, architects,

builders and developers can now visit the portal to discover why timber is the ideal choice for achieving levels 3-6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, making it easy to achieve a

high performance building fabric, whilst delivering real cost efficiencies. Geoff Arnold, UKTFA Chairman explains: “Timber has an unprecedented number of sustainable credentials which can’t be ignored, especially in light of the forthcoming changes to Part L of the Building Regulations which stipulate that new buildings achieve a 25% improvement in energy efficiency needed to reach Code 3. “The purpose of the

Fabric First campaign is to ensure that our core messages reach as many people as possible and the new website enables us to speak to an even wider audience.

TRADA Technology E-Publishes Timber Frame Standard Details

TRADA Technology has produced

Essential Timber Frame Standard

Details(for single occupancy detached, semi-detached and terraced houses) in electronic PDF format. It contains 32 of the most commonly used drawings from the company’s respected publication and CD, Timber Frame: Standard Details for Houses and Flats. The downloadable application is appropriate for buildings of up to

at “In Touch with Timber 2010” Event

Accoya® wood, the world’s

leading high technology wood from Accsys Technologies PLC (“Accsys”), is set to take a lead sponsorship role at “In Touch with Timber 2010”, a key industry event organised by the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) that will be taking place on 18th May at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London. As the sole lead sponsor,

representatives from Accsys will be available at the event to discuss applications, showcase recent projects and provide samples of

18

Accoya® wood to interested parties

at Stands L1 and L2. Paul Clegg, Chief Executive

Officer of Accsys, comments: “This sponsorship shows our continued commitment to the UK’s fast-growing timber industry. The event’s theme is ‘Innovations with timber’ which fits perfectly with Accsys’s focus on providing highly innovative and effective solutions for those seeking high performance exterior applications. We therefore consider this conference to be an ideal occasion for us to showcase Accoya® a product whose performance

wood,

Accoya®

three storeys with concrete ground floors. It provides typical details for 'open' panel timber frame wall panels constructed using:140mm x 38mm timber studs and rails; 9mm or 12mm oriented strand board or plywood sheathing; breather membrane on the outer surface of the sheathing; mineral wool insulation between the studs; a polyethylene vapour control layer on the 'warm' side of the insulation;

or plasterboard as the internal lining surface. The drawings are in DWG

(AutoCAD 2005) and PDF (Acrobat 6) formats, offering flexibility of use for designers. Mac versions of the DWG files are available on request. The cost is £95.00+VAT (TRADA members) or £190.00+VAT (non- members). Email info@trada.co.uk or visit www.trada.co.uk/Bookshop. TRADA Technology has also

Wood Takes Lead Sponsorship Role

matches or even exceeds the durability, stability and beauty of the very best tropical hardwoods.” Dr Andy Pitman, TRADA

Technology’s Technical Manager, said: “I am delighted that Accoya® wood is helping sponsor this event. Non toxic modification is one of the ways in which the performance of wood in service can be greatly enhanced and this therefore provides more opportunities for using sustainably sourced wood in construction.” Accoya®

wood is a non-toxic,

modified, high technology wood, made from sustainably sourced,

issued a Wood Information Sheet Improving the thermal performance of existing timber frame buildings outlining the options and summarising the key issues for specifiers when considering thermal improvements to an existing timber frame structure. TRADA members may download the sheet in PDF format from the TRADA bookshop free of charge. Cost is £12.00 for non-members.

fast growing species, which is highly durable and dimensionally stable. Mr Clegg adds that Accoya®

proven its environmental credentials in two ways: 1. Accoya®

wood has recently further

wood has been billed

as a low carbon alternative compared to other conventional construction materials following a recent assessment by Camco, a leading environmental consultancy.

2. Accoya® wood has been named

as a 'Gold standard' product under the highly prestigious Cradle to CradleSM (C2C) Certification scheme that has become one of the most important eco-labels worldwide. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24