AND PEFC-CERTIFIED TIMBER
FLOORING
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PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification) is an international
non-profit, non-governmental organisation
dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management through independent third-party
certification. PEFC is an umbrella organisation. It
works by endorsing national forest certification
systems developed collaboratively by all
interested stakeholders and tailored to local
priorities and conditions. National forest
certification schemes undergo rigorous third
party assessment against PEFC’s unique
Sustainability Benchmarks.
PEFC has recognised certification systems in
over 30 countries. Together these account for
over 258 million hectares of certified forests,
making PEFC the world’s largest forest and
wood product certification system. It applies the
highest ecological, social and ethical standards
to forest management and is the certification
system of choice for family and community-
owned forests.
At its core is an independently verified Chain of Custody process which tracks certified
material from the forest to the end user enabling
companies to make accurate claims on the
content of certified material. It proves that each
step of the supply chain from the forest to
the end user has been monitored closely with
independent auditing. To date, more than 16,000
companies have obtained PEFC Chain of Custody certification.
ABOUT PEFC
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Stylish, durable and low maintenance, timber is one
of the most popular and widely used materials in
the flooring sector. Solid, engineered or laminate,
timber brings a natural and elegant element to any
interior and wooden flooring is widely recognised
as a hard wearing, natural product and suitable for
most building types. With a wide range of species,
colours, textures and grain patterns plus a winning
combination of sustainability and aesthetics, it has
become a key material for building specification.
As well as being a long term staple of domestic
homes and DIY, timber flooring is now being
increasingly requested in the commercial sector.
Hygienic and easy to clean in comparison to carpet,
timber is regularly specified in healthcare and
educational environments.
Demand for responsibly-produced goods is growing
everywhere. Wood products use considerably
less energy in their production than many
alternative materials and with climate change
and environmental concerns ever-present, both
consumers and clients are increasingly seeking
assurances that the products they buy have been
responsibly-sourced.
From commercial building owners and public
sector specifiers to the DIY and residential
markets, everybody is now far better informed and
knowledgeable about their purchasing decisions
and the impact on the environment. They are
increasingly looking to buy timber products that
are labelled as legal and sustainable. One of the
simplest ways to demonstrate that your flooring
comes from responsibly-managed forests is to buy
and supply PEFC-certified material. This is your
guarantee that it will have been sourced from forests
endorsed against PEFC’s international Sustainability
Benchmarks and tracked through the supply chain
via strict Chain of Custody certification.
STEP ON SUSTAINABILITY
Every cubic metre of wood flooring contains
5kg of carbon dioxide and stores that until
end of life where it can be reused or recycled.
CO2 emissions are seen as the principal cause
of climate change so the carbon footprint of
any product has become fundamental to the
procurement decision-making process as
quality, design and price.
[Source: Frühwald, Hamburg University/UK TTF]
DID YOU KNOW?
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WHY CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY SOURCED FLOORING?
PEFC-certified wood comes with an
assurance it is from a legal, sustainable
and well managed source
Timber flooring locks away CO2 for the
lifetime of the product and can ultimately
be recycled
Durable and attractive with thermal and
acoustic integrity.
CERTIFIED FLOORING –THE COMMERCIAL CHOICE
PEFC-certified timber flooring is at the centre of many projects across many differing sectors and is readily available from a range of flooring suppliers across the UK and Europe.
MUJI Retail, LondonPEFC-certified wide board oak forms a central
part of the MUJI flagship store on Oxford Street in
central London. Known for their high quality non-
branded goods, MUJI represents the simple, elegant
aesthetic of Japanese design. Their new flagship
store is a beautiful, open plan space across two
floors, providing over 200m2 of prime retail space.
Specified by architects Marchini Curran
Associates, the wide board solid oak was laid in an
innovative design where the planks were rotated
by 90° along the perimeter to demarcate different
retail areas. Finished in ultra-matt lacquer, the
PEFC-certified oak is both durable, attractive and
will last for many years.
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Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness ClubWhen Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness Club
needed new floors for their world class facilities
they specified 560m² of SylvaSport Premium
PEFC-certified beech. This was fitted in the
new four-court badminton hall, creating state-
of-the-art new courts, used by some of the best
players in the country.
Hardwood sports floors have the correct
resilience, shock absorption and friction
characteristics to facilitate athletes’ maximum
performance and comfort. They have been
designed to speed installation and to make both
newbuild and refurbishments as time and cost-
effective as possible. The performance, safety
and long lifespan have made timber sports
flooring systems a perfect choice for specifiers.
Heritage Centre, GatesheadOak floors were chosen for the new
heritage centre at the former St Mary’s
Church in Gateshead, a new facility
dedicated to the history of Gateshead.
Housed in the one of the region’s oldest
and most beautiful buildings, the church has
undergone a £1.2m renovation funded by
Gateshead Council, the European Regional
Development Fund and the Heritage
Lottery Fund. 500m2 of PEFC-certified
wide board oak flooring played a large part
of the re-development, adding warmth and
natural beauty to the historic interior.
Chain of Custody certification is the process of
handling information on the origin of forest-based
products, which allows an organisation to make
accurate and verifiable claims on the content of
sustainably certified material. It proves that each
step of the supply chain from the forest to the
end user has been monitored closely through
independent auditing and provides a means of
tracking certified material. This unbroken link is
transparent proof that the timber or wood-based
product used is sourced from a responsibly-
managed, certified forest.
Although other forest and Chain of Custody
certification systems are available, there are
distinct reasons why so many companies opt for
PEFC. As the world’s largest forest certification
system, PEFC remains the certification system of
choice for small, non-industrial private forests, with
hundreds of thousands of family-owned forests
certified as meeting PEFC’s strict Sustainability Benchmarks. PEFC Chain of Custody
certification offers many important benefits:
Access to markets – provides companies
with access to markets for environmentally
responsible products
Risk management – includes social
requirements to protect the fundamental rights
of workers along the supply chain. PEFC was
the first international Chain of Custody system
to do this
Availability and choice – much of the world’s
certified forest area is PEFC-certified. That is
currently more than 258 million hectares, offering
the widest supply of certified fibre and timber
Compliance with legislation – PEFC’s
Due Diligence System (DDS) excludes wood
from conversions, illegal and other controversial
sources and is fully compliant with the EU
Timber Regulation
A clear and transparent message
– the PEFC logo and label on a product
communicates to customers in a clear, concise
and transparent manner that timber and wood-
based products have been responsibly sourced
Business leadership on sustainability –
businesses can gain a competitive advantage
over other suppliers
Traceability – assurances that the certified
material in the final product originates in PEFC-
certified forests managed with due respect for
environmental, economic and social standards.
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A huge choice of sustainable timber flooring is available as PEFC-certified and enables anybody specifiying materials and flooring systems to meet stringent public and private sector procurement policies.
Using PEFC-certified timber directly helps achieve Levels 3 to 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and plays a pivotal role in satisfying the acoustic and thermal requirements of Part L and Part E of the Building Regulations. It is also a huge motivation in achieving Excellent and Outstanding BREEAM ratings – the world’s leading design and assessment method for a building’s sustainable environmental performance.
CHAIN OF CUSTODY
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A CERTIFIED AND CREATIVE EDGE
CERTIFIED TIMBER FROM PEFC Aesthetics – an organic material that looks
stunning across a range of applications for interiors and exteriors
Flexibility– a unique material that is simple and easy to design and understand. It is also renewable, reusable and recyclable
Performance – outstanding results across a wide range of residential and commercial schemes to high environmental standards
Supply – a huge variety of softwoods and hardwoods from around the globe to give
your scheme a special flourish. Widely available from an extensive network of merchants and suppliers
Responsibility – a trusted and robust Chain of Custody from the forest to the end user. PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification system. PEFC-certified materials are accepted by public procurement policies worldwide
Sustainability – a simple and effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
PEFC flooring is readily available in solid, engineered
and parquet styles and is suitable for any number of
commercial and domestic applications. Species on
the market and easily supplied include: Ash, Beech,
Cherry, Larch, Maple, Merbau, Oak, Walnut and
Wenge.
PEFC-certified timber is also a central component of
the Ska environmental performance standard. This
tool measures fit-out projects in the context of the
higher sustainability concerns across the corporate
agenda. It consists of 104 individual ‘good-practice’
measures including certified timber, energy
efficiency and CO2 emissions. Ska is designed to be
of use to property stakeholders, including landlords,
developers, consultants and fit-out contractors.
The UK Contractors Group (UKCG) now stipulates
that all timber products purchased for use on
UKCG member sites should be certified as legally
and sustainably sourced, as defined by the UK
Government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber
(CPET). This includes PEFC and the certification
schemes that are part of PEFC, including the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian
Standards Association (CSA) and the Malaysian
Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS). For further
information visit: www.cpet.org.uk
PEFC’s distinctive ‘green trees’ logo transcends language barriers making it a truly global brand. For further information about the PEFC programme in the UK visit: www.pefc.co.uk
PEFC UK LimitedSheffield Technology ParksCooper BuildingsArundel StreetSheffield S1 2NSt 0114 307 2334e [email protected] www.pefc.co.uk
Printed on PEFC certified paper byHorner Brothers Paragont 01709 372277w www.hornerbrothers.com
Photo credits: H
AR
O/H
amberger Flooring (front cover), Junckers Flooring, Jam
es Latham plc, Freeim
ages.
PEFC/16-33-626