Environmental Policy

At Blewers Timber we take our environmental responsibilities seriously and are careful to verify that our sources meet the highest standards. We recognise our obligation to help protect the environment. Our timber is selected from managed forests, we do not purchase illegally logged timber and we are committed to acceptable standards and policies.

We use rigorous verification systems to monitor our supplies. We hold Chain of Custody Certification for the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Chain of Custody is a mechanism for tracking certified material from the forest to the final product to ensure the wood, wood fibre and non-forest product contained in the goods or product line can be traced back to the forest.

Softwood constructional timber is one of the greenest building materials known to man! Trees store and lock in carbon. Providing it has been obtained through responsible sourcing practices, the timber will come from well managed forests in which all felled trees are replaced with saplings. Responsible sourcing can make an important contribution towards forest management and help to increase the market for timber products which have been independently certified as coming from legal and well managed sources.

To view our certification, please click on the relevant logo below.

FSC®

Forest Stewardship Council®

• FSC® is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management worldwide.

• It enables businesses and consumers to make informed choices about the forest products they buy, and create positive change by engaging the power of market dynamics.

Ten rules for responsible forest management

The ten FSC® Principles require the forest owner or manager to do the following:

Principle 1: Compliance with Laws.

Principle 2: Workers' Rights and Employment Conditions.

Principle 3: Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.

Principle 4: Community Relations.

Principle 5: Benefits from the Forest.

Principle 6: Environmental Values and Impacts.

Principle 7: Management Planning.

Principle 8: Monitoring and Assessment.

Principle 9: High Conservation Values.

Principle 10: Implementation of Management Activities.

PEFC

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

• PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification organisation.

• PEFC is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) through independent third-party certification. PEFC works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure that timber and non-timber forest products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards. PEFC’s distinctive ‘green trees’ logo make it a truly global brand and means customers and consumers are able to identify products from sustainably managed forests.

Principles & Objectives

PEFC UK Ltd has adopted the definition of sustainable forest management (SFM) initially developed by Forest Europe in 1993 and subsequently adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The organisation is committed to the following guiding principles:

Quality – through the stringency of criteria for technical and professional competencies with which to operate the Scheme.

Continuous Improvement – through response to new knowledge and changes in demands.

Consistency – with internationally recognised indicators and performance criteria of credible forest certification standards, schemes, and of the certification process itself.

Use and promotion of the UK Woodland Assurance Standard – as the criteria and indicators for verification of sustainable forest management in the UK.

Credibility – through third party, independent auditing carried out by certification bodies accredited by UKAS or other accreditation bodies operating to internationally accepted ISO standards and guidelines.

Transparency – of all stages of both the certification standard and the certification scheme

Accountability to, and participation with – the UK and wider forestry and timber using communities and stakeholders.

Cost effectiveness – through minimising the administrative and financial burden to the scheme’s customers.

Accessibility – via the UK Woodland Assurance Standard and the PEFC Council Chain of Custody Standard – to a range of certification options to all forest and wood using types, ownerships and structures.