TIMBER


DECARBONISING YOUR SUMMER OFERING


David Hopkins, Chief Executive of the Timber Trade Federation looks at how merchants can capitalise on a ‘green’ garden products this summer


THERE’S A LOT OF TALK internationally about the reduction in pollution brought about by the pandemic, turning all kinds of minds, from architecture through to householders and government, towards a cleaner, greener future. How can merchants make capital from this fresh and positive interest in the way we live our lives?


‘Decarbonisation’ is not a new buzz-word, but is one that may be new to many mer- chants. It’s about reducing the amount of CO2


in your business wherever that occurs


– through transport (of employees to work as well as of goods into and out of your branches); through energy and fuel use, and through the many sources associated with the products you sell. During the lockdown


there have been many webinars on sustain- able building, and both of the builders’ trade bodies, NFB and FMB, have joined a construction-wide campaign for the sustain- able retro-fitting of buildings to improve their energy efficiency. Opportunities for mer- chants to promote themselves exist in each of these areas.


The easiest decarbonisation gain, for your business and for the planet, is to sell more wood products: not a complicated task in a reasonable British summer. Household- ers staying at home and taking on more DIY tasks could be looking for anything from win- dow board, glazing beads and cladding for shed repairs to decking, flooring and fencing.


As we all know and recognise, growing trees lock away CO2


in their wood fibre for the


lifetime of the wood in use. The more solid wood products you can sell to your custom- ers, the more your actions will directly benefit climate change. Explaining that connection at counter level, or while helping customers in the timber shed, could be one of the big- ger contributions that you and your staff can make to a greener future. There’s a simple rule of thumb that you can use in your selling: one cubic metre of timber stores roughly a tonne of CO2


, bound up in


the wood fibre. With the massive contribu- tion that forest-owing TTF member com- panies make in growing the future’s wood supply, even when taking into account the transport that it takes to get to your branch, timber products are generally carbon-negative when they reach you. That means they don’t add to the world’s climate change burdens. This has to be a plus on the sales front, so make your staff aware of it and make sure they are confident in the facts and are shar- ing them with customers. To help you sell timber’s back-story, and thus sell more solid wood decking, shed clad- ding, flooring and mouldings, ask your TTF member supplier for their input. Their own stories are part of your sales toolkit. They may have facts and figures about forests, timber production and wood products that they can share with you for your own marketing. Some may even be able to help you calcu- late the onward contribution of your own transport of wood products to site, to help you better understand your climate impacts as a business.


In magazines like Builders Merchants


Journal you will see increasing references to “building back better”. Working together with your timber supplier you can help the nation towards a truly more sustainable future.


IRO Timber provides material to mini-intensive care pod


IRO Timber helped customer Carbon Dynamic to supply a ‘care cabin’ enabling a family in Inverness to stay in their own home environ- ment, avoiding the unnecessary stress of travelling to and from hospital, with their terminally ill son.


The bespoke pod came about following an appeal for help from Donna Mitchell, who wanted to create an appropriate care and respite space for her son Reece, who has a rare case of Batten disease, a neurogenerative condition for which there is currently no cure. Carbon Dynamic contacted IRO Timber to ask


if they could collaborate and contribute in any way possible to this worthy project. IRO’s heat enhanced architectural timber is a range of products developed by BSW Tim- ber. A high quality, low maintenance product, IRO adds character to indoor and outdoor spaces.


James Brennan, marketing manager at IRO


Timber, said: “This was a great project for IRO to get involved with. It’s a heart-warming project and we are happy we could help and give back to such a brave and deserving young boy.”


June 2020 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 19


BMJ


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