FEATURES
interdependent and mutually reinforcing , and are recognised widely as the three aspects of sustainability . Only through balancing social , environmental , and economic aspects can we achieve true sustainability . Both treated wood and the biocides used in wood protection conforms to the principles of sustainability and for clarity these are addressed separately .
SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIOCIDES
Products containing biocides , such as wood preservatives , are a family of products intended to destroy or control harmful or unwanted organisms ( such as fungi and insects ) that have detrimental effects on the environment , on animals , on humans , their activities or the products they use or produce . Biocidal products are used in a wide variety of ways by both industrial and professional users as well as by the public .
Sustainable use can be defined for biocidal products as the objective of reducing the risks and impacts of the use of biocidal products on human health , animal health and the environment .
‘ Treated Wood – A Sustainable Choice ’ shows how economic , environmental , and social aspects of use of biocides in wood protection deliver sustainability . Wood preservatives were among the first biocidal products to be subject to regulation and standardisation in respect of these characteristics and consequently are now accepted as both effective and safe , if and when used correctly and appropriately .
Treated wood is the material of choice in every situation where its characteristics make it suitable . With such protection , designers have the choice of the foremost renewable and sustainable material .
When structures come to the end of their life , treated wood may be segregated for cascading and recycling to extend the useful life of the material . Even when disposal eventually becomes the only option , energy generation by burning certain types of preservative treated timber , returns carbon to the atmosphere where it is turned back into wood by trees using the energy of sunlight . As the amount of CO 2 emitted from combustion is no more than the amount previously stored , burning wood is carbon neutral – a truly circular economy .
The full brochure uses four typical use-scenarios to demonstrate the sustainability characteristics of treated wood : wood for construction , railway sleepers , poles for electricity , telecommunications , landscaping and decking .
It also sets out the Circular Economy credentials of treated wood and highlights the importance of best practice and education of designers , specifiers , installers and users and how the treated wood industry leads in developing guidance and programmes to assist these groups in optimising sustainable use of treated wood .
SAWPA used information contained in the executive summaries of the European Institute for Wood Preservation ( WEI-IEO ) and the European Wood Preservative Manufacturers Group ( EWPM ) to complete the brochure which can be downloaded from www . wei-ieo . eu or www . ewpm . org
For more information on wood preservation and preservative treated timber visit www . sawpa . co . za or contact us at admin @ sawpa . co . za or + 27 11 974 1061 .
Wood features on the inside of a timber house adds to the overall feel-good appeal .
www . timberiq . co . za // DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 19