Environment

Timber and wood products lie at the heart of our business and we are aware that our future success and growth depends on the proper management of these renewable resources. Therefore it is our policy to source materials, wherever possible, fom suppliers that have certification showing they provide products from sustainable and well managed forests.

Wenban Smith Limited is a member of the RPP and is therefore committed to implementing a step-wise programme to progressively reducing the risk of importing illegal timber products.

We understand that we, like all timber merchants, have a responsibility towards the environment. We take this responsibility seriously and are committed to continuous support for the environment in all of our business activities.

Whilst looking at the impact forests and the timber industry have on the environment it is worth highlighting some of the more positive aspects of the use of wood.

• For every m3 of wood used instead of other materials 0.8 tonne of CO2 is saved
• Between 1990 and 2000 the European forest area has grown by 30%
• Only 65% of this growth is harvested
• Annually the European forests are increasing by an area the size of Cyprus
• A 10% increase in the annual construction of European timber houses would result in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions

These facts and many more outlining the benefits of using timber products are available from the Wood for Good campaign website at www.woodforgood.com.

In addition to monitoring our suppliers for good environmental practice we also carry out the following practices:

• All metal waste is re-cycled
• Glass waste is re-cycled
• Wood chips from our mill are recycled as animal bedding
• The extraction system in our sawmill is self contained and does not release any emissions to the air
• We use a water based solution for our timber preservation process
• We burn wood waste to provide heat for several of our buildings
• All of our delivery vehicles are maintained to a high standard and new vehicles conform to tough emission levels

The environment in which we live is the responsibility of us all. Wenban-Smith are aware of the impact that modern living has on the world around us and are fully committed to environmentally sound methods of buying, selling and distributing timber and wood products.

For further information please click here to contact us.