Environment
The Wood Industry - Building Sustainability
Forests and forest products - the wood industry - are an important part of the UK economy, from growing trees to building houses, from importing wood to making furniture, or from manufacturing chipboard to making decking.
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We take our environmental and social responsibility extremely seriously and we are committed to developing our business towards ecological, social and economic sustainability.
Our approach is on a group wide basis, embracing all our UK and Latvian mills with dedicated group resources together with the individual responsibilities at each of the sites.
The programme of continuous improvement and focus in all our current and future business operations broadly falls under the following areas
Sourcing Supplies of Sustainably Grown Timber
UK Mills : We have FSC accreditation for all UK produced products. All UK mills have continuous improvement targets for the percentage of UK timber sourced from certified forests.
BSW Latvia : Due to the fragmentation of the forestry sector, total Chain of Custody Certification is not yet possible but we are working closely with the State Forestry Service (LVM) and private owners groups to achieve this.
Transportation and Distribution
Log Supplies : We are working closely with suppliers in improving log haulage logistics for sound commercial, social and environmental benefits.
Sawn Timber Despatches : Our objective of continuous improvement in service will not compromise but will be compatible with our objective for continuous improvement in the environmental impact of distribution.
Alternative Transport Methods : Rail and sea transportation within the UK for both raw materials and finished goods is being explored.
Safeguarding the local environment
At its larger sites, BSW Timber uses reedbeds to cleanse the rainwater running off its yards, to protect local waterways. The reeds provide a habitat for microbes which digest the organic substances that the rainwater has leached out of bark and sawdust. All sites operate in accordance with permits issued by local authorities and the Environment Agency or SEPA.
Community Responsibility
All of our mills are located in rural areas and we have a responsibility to the local communities which goes far beyond being an important employer in these areas. We are fully committed to the sustainable future of these communities in all aspects.
Timber Trade Federation : Forestry Sustainability Strategy
We fully support and are playing an active role in developing the Forestry Sector Sustainability Strategy. We will continue to be involved and committed to the implementation process, to the actions currently agreed and future targets that are currently being defined.
Timber Trade Federation : Responsible Purchasing Policy
We follow the Responsible Purchasing Policy which involves developing a Company Policy, with environmental commitments towards your procurement activities; a Risk Assessment procedure to evaluate your suppliers ability to support your Company Policy; and a Management Report to summarise your achievements.
Of course, the simple answer is timber. But timber really is too small a word for everything we do. Hundreds of products, none of them run of the mill. We live it. And, if we could, we'd breathe it too.