CIRCULAR ECONOMY
MAXIMISING
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES into other construction products, such as insulation or panel boards, with a further 12% used for animal bedding and surfaces. The remaining 65% was either known to be used as a biofuel for energy production or believed to be indirectly used for energy production as part of the mix of refuse derived fuel (RDF) from waste facilities. It is therefore clear that we need to do more with what we have, e.g. by maintaining timber products in place for longer, by refurbishing, remanufacturing and/or reusing timber components. We also need to ensure we become more self-sufficient in timber production, with the UK being second only to China as the largest net importer of timber and timber products.
01 Timber is the ultimate renewable material, but where does it fit into the circular economy? Charlie Law, Managing Director, Sustainable Construction Solutions, examines how the timber industry could embrace a system that makes the most of its available resources.
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Traditionally, industry has followed the ‘take, make, dispose’ linear consumption model, where resources are taken from the earth to make whatever is needed and the products are disposed of at the end of their life. The circular economy is based on the three key principles of: designing out waste, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems. Although the timber industry has been promoting a circular business model for years, and the latest report from TRADA (based on data from the Environment Agency and the Wood Recycling Association) found that less than 1% of ‘waste’ timber ends up in landfill, it is estimated that only 23% was recycled
STRUCTURALTIMBERMAGAZINE.CO.UK
The UK must consider the long-term security of its vital timber supplies. Although there is currently a stable supply chain from many countries around the world, particularly those in Europe, for the 60% plus of the UK’s construction timber requirements, this may not be the case in the long term. The need to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment means that every country will have to look at constructing lower embodied carbon buildings, and timber is a key material in helping to achieve this. There must therefore be a sustainable homegrown timber supply for the future, as well as ensuring more is done with existing resources. For example, only 10% of the hardwood felled in the UK today is used for timber production much of the remaining 90% is used for biomass, without any previous use. Although the utilisation rates for softwood timber are significantly higher, this demonstrates that this valuable resource is not being used as efficiently as it could be.
