COVER STORY MEDITE SMARTPLY
Imagination meets innovation with MEDITE As one of Europe’s best known brands of MDF, MEDITE is considered the benchmark for quality, consistency and performance. Its wide range of sustainable specialist products are helping meet the creative and diverse needs of a wide range of specifiers and designers.
I
t is no secret that the construction industry is a major
MEDITE MDF makes it real by continuously developing new
producer of carbon. Nearly 40% of the UK’s total
innovative, versatile and sustainable products, suitable for bespoke
carbon footprint is from the built environment, and
interior fit outs and refurbishments.
almost half of this energy comes from operations
Part of the Coillte Group in Ireland, its sustainable supply chain
within buildings and infrastructure that has nothing to do with
and manufacturing processes means the products themselves are as
their functional operation.1 It is a problem across the industry—but
environmentally conscious as they are in their application. Around 20%4
progress is being made.
of the Coillte Estate, which is nearly 90,000 hectares of forest lands,
In a bid to bring the construction industry down a more sustainable
is managed with biodiversity and nature conservation in mind.5 Coillte
route, several initiatives are now underway. In November 2020, Prime
uses the latest technology and information to harvest wood efficiently,
Minister Boris Johnson announced the ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green
safely and responsibly in order to be as sustainable as possible.
Industrial Revolution,’ which aims to reduce UK emissions by 180 million
MEDITE MDF fulfils an important recycling concept for the forestry
tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2023 and 2032 and develop further
sector by processing waste from the Irish sawmill as wood chip,
plans to meet the target of net zero by 2050.2
accounting for nearly 60% of the raw input for MEDITE MDF.
Part of this plan includes the extension of the Green Homes Grant for
As one of Europe’s most renowned brands of MDF, MEDITE is
another year, in which homeowners in England, including landlords, can
considered the benchmark for quality, consistency and performance.
get up to £5,000 to pay part of the cost of energy saving measures like
Its wide range of specialist products are designed to meet the creative
insulation.3 This means that the design and construction industries need to
and diverse needs of specifiers, users and designers while meeting
step up their game and become even more environmentally conscious. Wellbeing is also high on the agenda. The need for more healthconscious interior spaces at home and at work has also risen sharply in recent years, especially since the onset of the pandemic and consequent lockdowns which has forced many of us to spend more time at home. This unique situation has brought about its own challenges. As a result, architects and designers are under more pressure than ever to take active steps to incorporate features and products in their work that will make spaces safer and healthier to live and work in. This raises the question on how the timber construction industry can adapt to these demands. For example, how can innovative and bespoke interior fit outs be created while focusing on sustainability and wellbeing? 1 https://www.ukgbc.org/climate-change/
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-ten-point-plan-for-a-green-industrial-revolution
Timber Trader UK Magazine
Winter 2020-2021
26
www.timbermedia.co.uk
3 https://greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk/
@Timber_Media
