Construction the catalyst for growth

The fortunes of the woodworking industry and products that our members make are very much linked to the construction sector. With every £1 invested in construction generating £3 in total economic activity, and 90% of building materials made in the UK, construction is crucial to growth. This potential of the construction industry to drive growth and employment, not just on site, but also in the supply chain, should be fully accounted for when deciding policies and priorities.

The BWF is one of the major trade associations drivers behind the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) and has been working hard to raise the profile of the woodworking sector and highlight how our industry supports the construction economy and delivers maximum results with minimum environmental impact.

Through the CTI we have developed a manifesto for timber that focusses on key policy areas such as sustainability, jobs, skills and housing – this manifesto is an important documents to engaging with politicians and stakeholders. Here you can read the CTI response to the recent White Paper: Fixing our Broken Housing Market highlighting the vital role timber has in delivering sustainable and quality homes at the levels required to meet the housing shortfall in the UK.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the timber industries

More than 40 parliamentarians are already registered as members of the Timber Industries APPG. The APPG showcases timber as the most sustainable and renewable building material and develops initiatives and economic measures to grow the whole UK Timber Industry supply chain. The CTI assists Parliamentarians in their work by acting as the group's secretariat and providing relevant information and logistic support.

Fighting forms and getting members paid on time

Bringing together clients, main contractors and trade associations including the BWF, Build UK represents in excess of 40% of UK construction. Build UK campaigns and fosters collaboration on issues such as:

1. Implementing fair and transparent payment throughout the construction supply chain.

2. Reducing the cost, bureaucracy and waste associated with pre-qualification by offering practical ways to exchange pre-qualification information, assess and improve competence and increase efficiency.

3. Driving the development of competence standards, skills and apprenticeships and working with employers to develop the workforce.

4. Continuously improving the management of Health & Safety in the construction industry.

5. Improving the image of the construction industry and inspiring young people to choose construction while at the same time motivating the worksforce to stay within the industry

The Construction Products Association

The BWF is a member of the Construction Products Association (CPA), which seeks to highlight to political and media decision-makers the central role which our construction products sector plays within the wider UK construction industry, and the importance of that overall industry to the UK economy and society.

Further work from our 'Construction the catalyst for growth' campaigns