Timber iQ June - July 2019 // Issue: 44 | Page 14

ASSOCIATIONS Design that understands eco life cycles An environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) is a means of measuring all impacts of production and use of materials from growth, treatment, transport, manufacturing, treatment, use and ultimately disposal. By Seed to Seat Laurie Wiid sits on his Meraki Daybed. A n LCA considers a number of impacts on the environment including carbon footprint, acidification and eutrophication potential, photochemical ozone creation and energy demand. Seed to Seat recently provided an LCA on the Meraki Daybed which was designed by Laurie Wiid. The more elaborate nature of the Meraki Daybed has led to a slightly larger environmental impact than for some of the other Seed to Seat designs. However, the combination of natural materials and skilful craftsmanship contributes to a very strong environmental profile for a high-end bespoke piece likely to remain in use for many years and to rarely, if ever, need replacement. SOFT MAPLE: AN ABUNDANT HARDWOOD Over 97% of the mass of the daybed comprises soft maple, among the most abundant of American hardwoods with forest volume of around 1 500 million m 3 , 11% of the total US hardwood resource. Each year, the volume of soft maple in US forests grows by 36 million m 3 , of which only 12 JUNE / JULY 2019 // 15 million m 3 is harvested. This means the volume standing in US hardwood forests increases by 21 million m 3 a year. It takes less than one quarter of a second for forest growth to replace the soft maple used to manufacture the daybed. The bed’s soft, maple frame is complemented by the cork padding, another natural sustainable material with a low carbon footprint. At 173kg CO 2 eq. (equivalent carbon dioxide), the carbon footprint of the daybed is the same as driving 1 116km in a typical South African car and equal to the carbon emissions of the average South African over a seven-day period. Emissions of 302kg CO 2 eq. during all processes to produce and transport the soft maple from the US to supply the cork and other materials and to manufacture in South Africa, are offset by 111kg CO 2 eq. stored in the finished daybed and an additional 18kg CO 2 eq. due to burning of wood and cork offcuts at the factory in South Africa. MATERIAL EFFICIENCY Material efficiency is quite high for a high-end bespoke furniture product, with almost half of the wood supplied ending up in the finished piece, a benefit of incorporating flat boards into the design which are close to the standard dimensions available. Efficient use of material reduces environmental impacts associated with bulk transport of lumber to the factory and with waste disposal. It also maximises the carbon storage potential of the furniture item. IMPACT OF ELECTRICITY USAGE IN SA With low impacts at other life cycle stages, manufacturing in South Africa accounts for a large share of the overall environmental impact. Impacts at this stage are mainly due to use of a CNC machine and extractor fan both powered by electricity from the South African national grid which has 95% dependency on heavy coal. Strategies to increase the share of renewables (such as solar energy) in the supply of electricity during manufacturing would significantly mitigate environmental impact. www.timberiq.co.za