Opting for solid timber back doors for your home will help to ensure that you utilise a durable material for the doors in your home that should serve you for years to come. However, in an increasingly eco-conscious world homeowners are keen to ensure that they are not adding to the world’s problems by using timber from unsustainable sources.
Here are just some of the measures those looking to invest in timber doors can take to ensure that the timber used in their doors has the minimum of environmental impact.
Looking for international frameworks for forest certification
There are two key international frameworks for forest certification, the more widely recognised Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) and the lesser known Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Both work towards the promotion of responsible forest management across the globe, and products bearing the mark of either organisation will come from certified forest areas.
The process of certification can take between 2 and 5 years. As a result the Timber Trade Federation, the trade industry for the timber industry and timber companies, argues that where certified timber is not available that it is sourced from one of the listed schemes.
Contact your local authority for a Sustainable Timber Supplier List
If you want one stop resource for suppliers who use sustainable timber in their door and window products, your local authority may be able to help. As an example Lambeth Council in London offers a Sustainable Timber Supplier list. However, it is important to note that these lists may not be exhaustive so it is always important to approach companies directly to ascertain where they source their timber from.
Sustainable timber has a number of benefits beyond minimising homeowners’ carbon footprint and this includes good thermal insulation properties, as well as helping to work towards the government’s Code for Sustainable Homes.