Sustainable Construction Solutions
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CTI Sustainability Report

Client: Confederation of Timber Industries

Role: Responsible Sourcing Report

Project Manager: Charlie Law

In January 2016, the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) commissioned Sustainable Construction Solutions to write a report on the environment and quality of standards in the timber industry. This report would form one of three sections in a wider report also including value and growth, and skills and education.

The report focussed on three main areas:

  • Providing the case for timber in a low carbon, circular economy
  • Promoting the consistent application of chain of custody standards
  • Improving the implementation and enforcement of the EU timber regulation

In order to complete the report research was required into how the use of timber for construction could help reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, and contribute towards achieving the targets set at the COP 21 talks in Paris in December 2015. In addition, with the launch of the EU circular economy package, also in December 2015, Sustainable Construction Solutions were able to use their knowledge of the circular economy to look at end of life scenarios to show where timber fits within this, with one of the key outcomes of the research showing that only around 1% of waste timber now ends up in landfill.

The report also looked into the application of the various chain of custody standards (FSC, PEFC, Grown in Britain) within Government and industry, and looks at how the Social Value Act is being applied. It also looked at targets for tree planting in the UK, and the Government support required to develop the timber industry to reduce reliance on imports.

The final section of the report looked at how the EU timber regulations (EUTR) were working and where improvements could be made. This included looking at which products were covered by the EUTR and also how the legislation was implemented in member states, including fines and penalties for non-compliance.

The report was completed on time and to budget in April 2016, and was launched with the other reports at the CTI Conference in Westminster on the 30th November 2016. A copy of the report can be found on the CTI website.