The Trust UK C16 Campaign has been awarded the Chair’s Award at the Confor Dinner & Awards, held on 11th March at Surgeons Quarter, Edinburgh.
The Confor Dinner & Awards champion the efforts of inspirational individuals and organisations going above and beyond in the forestry and wood-using industry. To see the Trust UK C16 Campaign recognised in this way is a significant endorsement of the collaboration and ambition behind it.
Lord Ian Duncan of Springbank, Chair of Confor, noted that the campaign has real future potential to positively impact the perception of home-grown timber and drive growth in its use, especially in the construction and housing sectors.
Launched as an industry-first partnership between the UK’s three largest sawmillers – BSW Timber, James Jones & Sons and Glennon Brothers – the campaign was established to promote the use of domestically grown and manufactured C16 timber and to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported materials.
Despite having a world-class sawmilling industry, the UK remains the second-largest net importer of forest products globally, importing around 80% of its timber requirements, worth approximately £9 billion annually. The Trust UK C16 Campaign is a direct response to that imbalance.
Backed by Confor and Timber Development UK (TDUK) – and now working strategically with RIBA, RIAS and IStructE – the campaign calls for collective action across the construction supply chain. At its core is a clear, practical framework: Grow, Manufacture, Specify and Build; increasing productive woodland, maximising UK sawmilling capability, encouraging greater specification of C16, and delivering cost-effective, lower-carbon construction solutions.
C16 graded timber, grown and manufactured in the UK, is suitable for most standard construction applications. It offers strength, versatility and lower embodied carbon than many imported alternatives, including C24, while supporting rural employment, supply chain resilience and the UK Government’s Timber in Construction Roadmap.
James Brennan, Head of Marketing at BSW Group, said: “The Trust UK C16 Campaign already represents just what can be achieved when our industry works together with a clear purpose. This award recognises the scale of collaboration behind the campaign, from sawmillers and trade bodies through to architects and engineers, all aligned around strengthening domestic timber supply.
The campaign is about reducing risks in in our supply chains, backing UK forestry, and demonstrating that C16 is not just a viable option, but essential to delivering a lower-carbon built environment.”
Since its launch, the campaign has gained unprecedented support from industry stakeholders, media and policymakers alike, reinforcing the strategic importance of UK-grown timber in decarbonising construction and building long-term economic resilience.
