DECKING
Accoya modified wood from Accsys was used on The Rising Path project , Botanic Gardens , Cambridge . Architect – Chadwick Dryer Clarke . Image courtesy of Richard Chivers , Smith & Wallwork .
MAKE THE MOST OF WOOD TO HELP THE WORLD ’ S CLIMATE
Back in 2020 , the global climate change conference COP 26 , cited construction activity as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions . It also highlighted that using more sustainable materials , like wood , could reduce emissions significantly . Forward to 2023 and the environmental performance of construction products is still in the spotlight . Now there are smarter tools available to landscapers , architects and manufacturers which measure the environmental footprint of products – not only carbon usage but life cycle assessment too .
Responsible Industries By using such tools , Timber Development UK ( TDUK ) – the Wood Protection Association ’ s ( WPA ) affiliated trade partner – in collaboration with Energise , have assessed the carbon footprint of the UK timber industry . As published in their Net Zero Roadmap ( January 2023 ), the emissions of timber related industries in the UK ( excluding paper , cardboard , pulp , and imported biomass for the energy industry ) are responsible for just 0.35 % of UK emissions . This is very low compared to other manufacturing industries such as UK steel production , which is responsible for 2.7 % of UK emissions , and concrete – 1.5 % of UK emissions1 . The Roadmap presents a Net Zero emissions pathway for the Timber Industry to achieve by 2050 , alongside a set of highlevel policy recommendations and sector action plans to deliver the reductions . It ’ s fair to say , even though the percentage of timberrelated emissions is comparably low , the timber industry is still working hard to achieve better outcomes for the planet .
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