AND PEFC-CERTIFIED TIMBER

FLOORING

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PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification) is an international

non-profit, non-governmental organisation

dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management through independent third-party

certification. 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 PEFC’s unique

Sustainability Benchmarks.

PEFC has recognised certification systems in

over 30 countries. Together these account for

over 258 million hectares of certified forests,

making PEFC the world’s largest forest and

wood product certification system. It applies the

highest ecological, social and ethical standards

to forest management and is the certification

system of choice for family and community-

owned forests.

At its core is an independently verified Chain of Custody process which tracks certified

material from the forest to the end user enabling

companies to make accurate claims on the

content of 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. To date, more than 16,000

companies have obtained PEFC Chain of Custody certification.

ABOUT PEFC

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Stylish, durable and low maintenance, timber is one

of the most popular and widely used materials in

the flooring sector. Solid, engineered or laminate,

timber brings a natural and elegant element to any

interior and wooden flooring is widely recognised

as a hard wearing, natural product and suitable for

most building types. With a wide range of species,

colours, textures and grain patterns plus a winning

combination of sustainability and aesthetics, it has

become a key material for building specification.

As well as being a long term staple of domestic

homes and DIY, timber flooring is now being

increasingly requested in the commercial sector.

Hygienic and easy to clean in comparison to carpet,

timber is regularly specified in healthcare and

educational environments.

Demand for responsibly-produced goods is growing

everywhere. Wood products use considerably

less energy in their production than many

alternative materials and with climate change

and environmental concerns ever-present, both

consumers and clients are increasingly seeking

assurances that the products they buy have been

responsibly-sourced.

From commercial building owners and public

sector specifiers to the DIY and residential

markets, everybody is now far better informed and

knowledgeable about their purchasing decisions

and the impact on the environment. They are

increasingly looking to buy timber products that

are labelled as legal and sustainable. One of the

simplest ways to demonstrate that your flooring

comes from responsibly-managed forests is to buy

and supply PEFC-certified material. This is your

guarantee that it will have been sourced from forests

endorsed against PEFC’s international Sustainability

Benchmarks and tracked through the supply chain

via strict Chain of Custody certification.

STEP ON SUSTAINABILITY

Every cubic metre of wood flooring contains

5kg of carbon dioxide and stores that until

end of life where it can be reused or recycled.

CO2 emissions are seen as the principal cause

of climate change so the carbon footprint of

any product has become fundamental to the

procurement decision-making process as

quality, design and price.

[Source: Frühwald, Hamburg University/UK TTF]

DID YOU KNOW?

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WHY CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY SOURCED FLOORING?

PEFC-certified wood comes with an

assurance it is from a legal, sustainable

and well managed source

Timber flooring locks away CO2 for the

lifetime of the product and can ultimately

be recycled

Durable and attractive with thermal and

acoustic integrity.

CERTIFIED FLOORING –THE COMMERCIAL CHOICE

PEFC-certified timber flooring is at the centre of many projects across many differing sectors and is readily available from a range of flooring suppliers across the UK and Europe.

MUJI Retail, LondonPEFC-certified wide board oak forms a central

part of the MUJI flagship store on Oxford Street in

central London. Known for their high quality non-

branded goods, MUJI represents the simple, elegant

aesthetic of Japanese design. Their new flagship

store is a beautiful, open plan space across two

floors, providing over 200m2 of prime retail space.

Specified by architects Marchini Curran

Associates, the wide board solid oak was laid in an

innovative design where the planks were rotated

by 90° along the perimeter to demarcate different

retail areas. Finished in ultra-matt lacquer, the

PEFC-certified oak is both durable, attractive and

will last for many years.

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Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness ClubWhen Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness Club

needed new floors for their world class facilities

they specified 560m² of SylvaSport Premium

PEFC-certified beech. This was fitted in the

new four-court badminton hall, creating state-

of-the-art new courts, used by some of the best

players in the country.

Hardwood sports floors have the correct

resilience, shock absorption and friction

characteristics to facilitate athletes’ maximum

performance and comfort. They have been

designed to speed installation and to make both

newbuild and refurbishments as time and cost-

effective as possible. The performance, safety

and long lifespan have made timber sports

flooring systems a perfect choice for specifiers.

Heritage Centre, GatesheadOak floors were chosen for the new

heritage centre at the former St Mary’s

Church in Gateshead, a new facility

dedicated to the history of Gateshead.

Housed in the one of the region’s oldest

and most beautiful buildings, the church has

undergone a £1.2m renovation funded by

Gateshead Council, the European Regional

Development Fund and the Heritage

Lottery Fund. 500m2 of PEFC-certified

wide board oak flooring played a large part

of the re-development, adding warmth and

natural beauty to the historic interior.

Chain of Custody certification is the process of

handling information on the origin of forest-based

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 through

independent auditing and provides a means of

tracking certified material. This unbroken link is

transparent proof that the timber or wood-based

product used is sourced from a responsibly-

managed, certified forest.

Although other forest and Chain of Custody

certification systems are available, there are

distinct reasons why so many companies opt for

PEFC. As the world’s largest forest certification

system, PEFC remains the certification system of

choice for small, non-industrial private forests, with

hundreds of thousands of family-owned forests

certified as meeting PEFC’s strict Sustainability Benchmarks. PEFC Chain of Custody

certification offers many important benefits:

Access to markets – provides companies

with access to markets for environmentally

responsible products

Risk management – includes social

requirements to protect the fundamental rights

of workers along the supply chain. PEFC was

the first international Chain of Custody system

to do this

Availability and choice – much of the world’s

certified forest area is PEFC-certified. That is

currently more than 258 million hectares, offering

the widest supply of certified fibre and timber

Compliance with legislation – PEFC’s

Due Diligence System (DDS) excludes wood

from conversions, illegal and other controversial

sources and is fully compliant with the EU

Timber Regulation

A clear and transparent message

– the PEFC logo and label on a product

communicates to customers in a clear, concise

and transparent manner that timber and wood-

based products have been responsibly sourced

Business leadership on sustainability –

businesses can gain a competitive advantage

over other suppliers

Traceability – assurances that the certified

material in the final product originates in PEFC-

certified forests managed with due respect for

environmental, economic and social standards.

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A huge choice of sustainable timber flooring is available as PEFC-certified and enables anybody specifiying materials and flooring systems to meet stringent public and private sector procurement policies.

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 world’s leading design and assessment method for a building’s sustainable environmental performance.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY

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A CERTIFIED AND CREATIVE EDGE

CERTIFIED TIMBER FROM PEFC Aesthetics – an organic material that looks

stunning across a range of applications for interiors and exteriors

Flexibility– a unique material that is simple and easy to design and understand. It is also renewable, reusable and recyclable

Performance – outstanding results across a wide range of residential and commercial schemes to high environmental standards

Supply – a huge variety of softwoods and hardwoods from around the globe to give

your scheme a special flourish. Widely available from an extensive network of merchants and suppliers

Responsibility – a trusted and robust Chain of Custody from the forest to the end user. PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification system. PEFC-certified materials are accepted by public procurement policies worldwide

Sustainability – a simple and effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

PEFC flooring is readily available in solid, engineered

and parquet styles and is suitable for any number of

commercial and domestic applications. Species on

the market and easily supplied include: Ash, Beech,

Cherry, Larch, Maple, Merbau, Oak, Walnut and

Wenge.

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 ‘good-practice’

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.

The UK Contractors Group (UKCG) now stipulates

that all timber products purchased for use on

UKCG member sites should be certified as legally

and sustainably sourced, as defined by the UK

Government’s 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). For further

information visit: www.cpet.org.uk

PEFC’s 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 LimitedSheffield Technology ParksCooper BuildingsArundel StreetSheffield S1 2NSt 0114 307 2334e info@pefc.co.ukw www.pefc.co.uk

Printed on PEFC certified paper byHorner Brothers Paragont 01709 372277w www.hornerbrothers.com

Photo credits: H

AR

O/H

amberger Flooring (front cover), Junckers Flooring, Jam

es Latham plc, Freeim

ages.

PEFC/16-33-626