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Joinery, fit out

and Certified Timber

The Best for Your Business


Timber plays an essential part in any building
and is a major component of many interior
fit out projects. This includes a huge array
of flooring, wall panelling partitions/screens,
mouldings, skirting, architraves, stairs and stair
parts, doors and windows. While timber is an
inspirational and attractive material, clients
increasingly require assurances that materials
used on their projects originate from legal and
sustainable sources.
Whether you are a volume house builder,
subcontractor or local tradesperson, you
will increasingly be asked to supply such
assurances. Whether you are working with
a simple, small range of products or dealing
with larger sawn temperate timbers, tropical
hardwoods or softwoods, the origins of the

Photo British Woodworking Federation

material are important. End customers are


increasingly demanding traceability and legality
in the material they buy, use and install. This
may be achieved with Chain of Custody (CoC),
which is now essential for any involvement
in central and local government projects plus
many mixed-scale private developments.
Are you working with sheet materials such as
plywood, hardboard, chipboard, OSB or MDF?
Are you working on a hotel, commercial and
retail bespoke joinery scheme including pub,
bar or shop fit out? The use of timber can also
extend to wash room fit-outs, lift and reception
areas via an enormous range of architectural
joinery the material you use is increasingly
expected to come from independently certified
sources. So what can you do?

Photo stock.xchng
Photo Mets Wood

Photo Mets Wood

A Simple Way to Chain of Custody


Chain of Custody Certification
Chain of Custody certification is the process of
handling information on the origin of forestbased 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 with independent auditing and provides
a means of tracing certified material. This
unbroken link is transparent proof that the timber
used, is sourced from a responsibly-managed,
certified forest. You can find out more by reading
PEFC Chain of Custody Certification: the
Key to Selling Certified Products available
for download from www.pefc.co.uk.

Group Chain of Custody


For many sole traders and small firms,
having Chain of Custody may be viewed as
A good example of a Group Scheme is run by
the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)
and is designed for companies with 50
employees or fewer and a turnover of less than
6 million. In this case, BWF as the certificate
holder enables companies that become

Photo British Woodworking Federation

a costly option. If company Chain of Custody


certification is not possible, a simple and
cost effective way to achieve PEFC-certified
status is to join or form a Group Chain of
Custody Scheme.
Generally, a Group Scheme involves a
consultant helping member companies to set
up the procedures and paperwork required
to satisfy the requirements of the Group
Scheme and undertake audits to maintain
the certification. Once your company is
certified, you will be allowed to use the
PEFC logos and labels on your products
and marketing materials. Certification will
add credibility to your company and provide
you with an advantage over your uncertified
competitors. It will also provide your
customers with assurances of responsible
sourcing.
members of the Group to use the certificate
at a lower cost than achieving Chain of
Custody independently. This is a cost effective
and sensible option which enables smaller
companies to participate in certification. More
information: www.bwf.org.uk

Photo British Woodworking Federation

Be Aware the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR)

Project Chain of Custody


Certification
Companies can also become involved with
PEFC through Project Certification. PEFC
Project Chain of Custody certification
recognises that not all parties involved
in specific projects are certified. This is a
particular form of Chain of Custody where
an individual project is considered to be
the product to which the Chain of Custody
process is applied.

its requirements accordingly. The most


effective way to provide evidence that
the timber products you deal in meet the
highest environmental standards and are
in compliance with legislation is to specify
PEFC-certified products.

Photo James Latham PLC

In March 2013, new regulations came


into force which affect everyone trading in
timber and joinery products in the UK. The
EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) is designed
to stop the flow of illegal timber in the EU,
and PEFC is in the process of aligning

In practice, the Project Manager obtains


a Chain of Custody certificate for Project
Certification and sub-contractors working on
the project are covered as Project Members
and are not required to obtain Chain of
Custody certification themselves.
More information on Project Certification can be
found in PEFC Project Chain of Custody:
One Project One Message available on the
PEFC website www.pefc.co.uk.

Photo Reddiseals Ltd

Guarantee Future Work


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 worlds leading design
and assessment method for a buildings
sustainable environmental performance.
It also goes towards meeting exacting SAP
targets and PassivHaus performance levels and
joinery products including doors, windows and
insulated panels will play a major part in the UK
Governments Green Deal the programme
of energy efficient refurbishment of the UKs
building footprint that will see 26 million homes
and commercial properties retrofitted by 2050.
The importance of certified timber cannot
be overstated. The UK Contractors Group
(UKCG) now stipulates that all timber products
purchased for either temporary or permanent
use on UKCG member sites should be certified
as legally and sustainably sourced, as defined
by the UK Governments 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).
UKCG represents over 30 leading contractors
operating in the UK construction market
including Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Keepmoat,
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Photo International Timber

Morgan Sindall, Vinci and Willmott Dixon. The


UKCG policy gives clear and transparent
preference to products that demonstrate
compliance with responsible sourcing schemes
and certified by a third party that maintains an
unbroken chain of custody.
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 goodpractice 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.

About PEFC
The Programme for Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC) is an international nonprofit, non-governmental organisation dedicated
to promoting sustainable forest management
through independent third-party certification.
It works throughout the forest supply chain
to promote good practice in the forest and to
ensure that wood-based products are sourced
with respect for stringent ecological, social and
ethical standards.

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
PEFCs unique Sustainability Benchmarks.
Today, PEFC has recognised certification
systems in more than 30 countries. Together
these account for over 245 million hectares
of certified forests, making PEFC the worlds
largest forest certification system. It is the
certification system of choice for family and
community-owned forests. PEFC-certified
materials are specified in public and corporate
procurement policies around the world.
7

PEFCs 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 Limited
Sheffield Technology Parks
Cooper Buildings
Arundel Street
Sheffield S1 2NS
t 0114 307 2334
e info@pefc.co.uk
www.pefc.co.uk

PEFC UK 2012
Front cover image: iStockphoto

PEFC/16-01-01

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