Wood, the sustainable choice

With significant improvements and innovations from both a supply and performance perspective, the timber industry can hold its collective head up high as the sustainable material choice in key construction applications. 

As well as offering unique beauty, excellent value for money and unparalleled renewability, using wood from sustainably managed forests actually reduces carbon dioxide emissions, as the carbon dioxide stored by the forest and in the timber product outweighs any carbon dioxide created during the production of the product. Each tonne of timber used instead of other building materials (like steel, or brick and concrete block) saves around a tonne of carbon dioxide.

Our members are obliged to take their environmental responsibilities seriously under the BWF Code of Conduct and we encourage and provide resources to help them use their best endeavours to reduce their environmental impact and procure their raw materials in an efficient and sustainable way.

Wood. For Good

The BWF is a strong supporter of Wood for Good, which is the timber industry's campaign to promote the use of wood in design and construction. Wood for Good provides resources and videos on the benefits of timber for health and wellbeing, and why sourcing wood from sustainably managed products promotes biodiversity. You can also find a lifecycle database that provides the design and environmental data necessary to specify timber as the first choice material for windows, panel products, solid timber and structural products.

Fake Facts and Plastic Promises

The Wood Window Alliance (WWA), which is part of the BWF, has launched a campaign to highlight the misleading facts and plastic promises that consumers are being fed by some PVC-u companies.The campaign aims to set the record straight and prove that wood is good. It is focussing on how fake wood windows are bad for the planet’s health, bad for people’s health and bad for their houses.

The WWA has included a range of excellent resources on their website and online to support the campaign and give visitors access to the latest data and research. These include the Fake Facts and Plastic Promises video,a selection of Infographics and A Clear Choice: An update of the WWF’s 2005 report ‘Window of opportunity. The environmental benefits of specifying timber frames’.

Why wood is the material choice

Wood is a natural, renewable product and on the BWF website you can find out more on why to choose wood and why it is the material choice for the circular economy.
 

Further work from our 'Wood, the sustainable choice' campaigns