AND PEFC-CERTIFIED TIMBER

FLOORING
2
PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of
Forest Certifcation) is an international
non-proft, non-governmental organisation
dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest
Management through independent third-party
certifcation. PEFC is an umbrella organisation. It
works by endorsing national forest certifcation
systems developed collaboratively by all
interested stakeholders and tailored to local
priorities and conditions. National forest
certifcation schemes undergo rigorous third
party assessment against PEFCs unique
Sustainability Benchmarks.
PEFC has recognised certifcation systems in
over 30 countries. Together these account for
over 258 million hectares of certifed forests,
making PEFC the worlds largest forest and
wood product certifcation system. It applies the
highest ecological, social and ethical standards
to forest management and is the certifcation
system of choice for family and community-
owned forests.
At its core is an independently verifed Chain
of Custody process which tracks certifed
material from the forest to the end user enabling
companies to make accurate claims on the
content of certifed 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 certifcation.
ABOUT PEFC
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Stylish, durable and low maintenance, timber is one
of the most popular and widely used materials in
the fooring sector. Solid, engineered or laminate,
timber brings a natural and elegant element to any
interior and wooden fooring 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 specifcation.
As well as being a long term staple of domestic
homes and DIY, timber fooring is now being
increasingly requested in the commercial sector.
Hygienic and easy to clean in comparison to carpet,
timber is regularly specifed 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 specifers 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 fooring
comes from responsibly-managed forests is to buy
and supply PEFC-certifed material. This is your
guarantee that it will have been sourced from forests
endorsed against PEFCs international Sustainability
Benchmarks and tracked through the supply chain
via strict Chain of Custody certifcation.
STEP ON SUSTAINABILITY
Every cubic metre of wood fooring contains
5kg of carbon dioxide and stores that until
end of life where it can be reused or recycled.
CO
2
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: Frhwald, Hamburg University/UK TTF]
DID YOU KNOW?
4
WHY CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY
SOURCED FLOORING?
PEFC-certifed wood comes with an
assurance it is from a legal, sustainable
and well managed source
Timber fooring locks away CO
2
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-certifed timber fooring is at the centre of many projects across many differing sectors
and is readily available from a range of fooring suppliers across the UK and Europe.
MUJI Retail, London
PEFC-certifed wide board oak forms a central
part of the MUJI fagship 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 fagship
store is a beautiful, open plan space across two
foors, providing over 200m
2
of prime retail space.
Specifed 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-certifed oak is both durable, attractive and
will last for many years.
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Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness Club
When Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness Club
needed new foors for their world class facilities
they specifed 560m of SylvaSport Premium
PEFC-certifed beech. This was ftted 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 foors 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
fooring systems a perfect choice for specifers.
Heritage Centre, Gateshead
Oak foors were chosen for the new
heritage centre at the former St Marys
Church in Gateshead, a new facility
dedicated to the history of Gateshead.
Housed in the one of the regions 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. 500m
2
of PEFC-certifed
wide board oak fooring played a large part
of the re-development, adding warmth and
natural beauty to the historic interior.
Chain of Custody certifcation is the process of
handling information on the origin of forest-based
products, which allows an organisation to make
accurate and verifable claims on the content of
sustainably certifed 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 certifed material. This unbroken link is
transparent proof that the timber or wood-based
product used is sourced from a responsibly-
managed, certifed forest.
Although other forest and Chain of Custody
certifcation systems are available, there are
distinct reasons why so many companies opt for
PEFC. As the worlds largest forest certifcation
system, PEFC remains the certifcation system of
choice for small, non-industrial private forests, with
hundreds of thousands of family-owned forests
certifed as meeting PEFCs strict Sustainability
Benchmarks. PEFC Chain of Custody
certifcation offers many important benefts:
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 frst international Chain of Custody system
to do this
Availability and choice much of the worlds
certifed forest area is PEFC-certifed. That is
currently more than 258 million hectares, offering
the widest supply of certifed fbre and timber
Compliance with legislation PEFCs
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 certifed
material in the fnal product originates in PEFC-
certifed forests managed with due respect for
environmental, economic and social standards.
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A huge choice of sustainable timber fooring
is available as PEFC-certifed and enables
anybody specifying materials and fooring
systems to meet stringent public and private
sector procurement policies.
Using PEFC-certifed 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
worlds leading design and assessment method
for a buildings 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 fourish. 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 worlds largest
forest certifcation system. PEFC-
certifed materials are accepted by public
procurement policies worldwide
Sustainability a simple and effective way
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
PEFC fooring 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-certifed timber is also a central component of
the Ska environmental performance standard. This
tool measures ft-out projects in the context of the
higher sustainability concerns across the corporate
agenda. It consists of 104 individual good-practice
measures including certifed timber, energy
effciency and CO
2
emissions. Ska is designed to be
of use to property stakeholders, including landlords,
developers, consultants and ft-out contractors.
The UK Contractors Group (UKCG) now stipulates
that all timber products purchased for use on
UKCG member sites should be certifed as legally
and sustainably sourced, as defned by the UK
Governments Central Point of Expertise on Timber
(CPET). This includes PEFC and the certifcation
schemes that are part of PEFC, including the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian
Standards Association (CSA) and the Malaysian
Timber Certifcation Scheme (MTCS). For further
information visit: www.cpet.org.uk
PEFCs 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 Limited
Sheffeld Technology Parks
Cooper Buildings
Arundel Street
Sheffeld S1 2NS
t 0114 307 2334
e info@pefc.co.uk
w www.pefc.co.uk
Printed on PEFC certifed paper by
Horner Brothers Paragon
t 01709 372277
w www.hornerbrothers.com
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PEFC/16-33-626