The 鈥榃ood CO2ts less鈥� campaign hopes to increase awareness of timber鈥檚 environmental credentials and of how using wood from sustainably managed forests can help reduce carbon emissions.
Members of the timber industry collaborating on the campaign include Wood for Good and industry bodies Swedish Wood, Confor, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF), Structural Timber Association (STA) and British Woodworking Federation (BWF).
They say that using wood boosts the green credentials of builders and developers.
Wood for Good campaign manager Sarah Virgo said: 鈥淭he government set a target for the construction industry to achieve net zero carbon by 2050 but it鈥檚 not feasible for all sectors of the economy to become carbon neutral. 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.
鈥淚f we are to meet government targets and reduce climate change, we must act now. Everyone involved with the design and construction of a building, new or old, can play their part in tackling the climate emergency.鈥�
STA chief executive Andrew Carpenter said: 鈥淭he shortage of housing in the UK is an issue that has been acknowledged by successive governments; we must ensure that all new build homes are delivered in a high-quality and sustainable manner. Furthermore, to deliver the volume demanded with the urgency suggested, then this is also achievable by using engineered timber solutions that are predominately manufactured offsite 鈥� this also alleviates the acknowledged skill-shortage faced by the construction industry.鈥�
TTF chief executive Dave Hopkins said: 鈥淎s we move along construction鈥檚 roadmap to recovery, the industry needs to make better choices now. We have the skills and resources available to create a better built environment and timber is at the heart of it all.鈥�
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
