TIMBER
ROOFING BATTENS AT THE READY
The credentials of sustainably sourced and produced timber mean that roofing batten could come to symbolise the construction industry’s drive to meet the government’s target of being net zero carbon by 2050. BMJ investigates as the shift towards carbon neutrality gathers pace.
W
ho’d have thought that the humble roofing batten – found in merchants’ yards up and down the country –
would be spearheading the UK government’s commitment to fighting climate change? Sustainability has been the mantra of the timber industry for a long time now, and its house is firmly in order when it comes to the responsible use of wood as a way to reduce CO2 emissions.
That’s according to Shaun Revill, trading director at SR Timber, who says that the recent launch of ‘Wood CO2ts less’ – a new campaign by the UK timber industry to encourage the use of wood as a way to reduce CO2 emissions and fight climate change – has really brought home the pivotal role that timber is playing in enabling the construction industry to meet the government’s target of being net zero carbon by 2050. “‘Wood CO2ts less’ is seizing on the fact that the suppliers of some products found in merchants have a huge job on their hands to evolve their manufacturing processes to become carbon neutral. By contrast, Wood for Good (which is behind the new initiative, which is aiming for an increase in the use of wood and timber in UK construction) is right out in front of this,” Revill says. Sarah Virgo, Wood for Good’s campaign manager, said at the recent launch of ‘Wood CO2ts less’: “The construction industry has already taken its own steps to create more- sustainable buildings through initiatives such as the Chartered Institute of Building’s ‘Carbon Action 2050 toolkit’.
“The ‘Wood CO2ts less’ campaign calls on the construction industry to continue this positive action through using more wood. To reach net zero, we need to compensate for these emissions by finding ways of removing carbon from the atmosphere. The simplest way to contribute to this reduction is to consider wood first, instead of other materials.”
Merchant implications Revill says that it’s important to note that ‘Wood CO2ts less’ has the backing of industry bodies, including the Timber Trade Federation, Structural Timber Association (STA) and British Woodworking Federation, so merchants will hopefully start to see activity from the timber industry in supporting the greater use of timber and wood aimed at merchants and their customers.
“The other thing to mention is that we as a responsible supplier have jumped through all the hoops there are to make sure that every single length of our Premium Gold is always of the highest quality and meets British Standards – and is also doing its bit in respect of helping to reduce CO2 levels and positively impacting climate change.”
In other words, Revill says, customers of merchants can purchase Premium Gold batten with complete peace of mind because the batten has already been rubberstamped by all the key organisations.
The Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting the responsible management of the world’s forests, runs a global forest certification system with two key components: forest management and chain of custody. This system allows consumers to identify, purchase and use wood, paper and other forest products produced from well- managed forests and/or recycled materials.
December 2020
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is the world’s leading forest certification system and an internationally recognised brand devoted to ensuring that forests are managed according to environmental, social and economic criteria. It is an international non-profit, non- governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. It works by endorsing national forest certification systems developed collaboratively by all interested stakeholders and has recognised certification systems in 36 countries.
The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) is the UK’s foremost membership body for the timber supply chain, and its members have to satisfy specific criteria concerning the sustainable sourcing and harvesting of timber products before they can join the federation. All TTF members must adhere to its code of conduct in ensuring that all products are fit for purpose, are high quality and comply with the latest national and international market standards and regulations.
The Timber Research and Development Association (BM TRADA) is an international organisation that provides independent, authoritative and technical design guidance and, most importantly, certification. Its Q Mark is stamped on each piece of batten, which shows that the grading, preservative treatment, product marking and management processes have all been independently audited and verified. In the case of SR Timber’s batten, Revill says that this is done by a good third- party body that is UKAS accredited. “We know that merchants and their customers will likely never need them,” he adds, “but we can make all the accreditations and documentation available, should they ever be required by a housebuilder, a contractor or a merchant’s head office as part of their due diligence on their proactive response to climate change”. BMJ
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