The Sustainable Choice

Here at Border Hardwood, we are committed to developing our business in a sustainable way. This ensures that we can offer our customers a quality product that they know has been responsibly sourced.

Why is sustainability important to us?

One of our primary mission statements here at Border Hardwood is that we develop our business in a sustainable way, to minimize our effect on the environment. As timber merchants, we are aware of the damage that deforestation can cause, by irresponsible merchants and illegal logging.

Deforestation has a massive impact on the ecosystems of the world and is the main cause of soil erosion and habitat destruction. Aside from the damage to biodiversity, it also has huge implications for local communities that live in areas subject to deforestation; for these communities deforestation results in a loss of quality of life and a decrease in food and water security.

This is why it is so important to us that we operate in a sustainable way, to minimise the effect of our industry and protect forests for future generations.

This ensures the security and longevity of the trade; while allowing us to offer our customers peace of mind with every piece of Oak they buy from us.

Our Commitment to Sustainability Certification

Border Hardwood Ltd are committed to only supplying oak that has been sustainably sourced so, whether you ask for it or not, you can be sure your timber has come from well managed forests and sustainable mills. To this end, we are certified by two internationally recognised bodies who support, encourage and monitor sustainable forestry and timber production.

We have been a member of the FSC® for a number of years now. The Forest Stewardship Council® is an international, non-governmental organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

Through an independent auditor, Border Hardwood has to demonstrate that all procedures along the chain of custody are met when buying and selling FSC® certified timber. Passing this allows us to proudly display the FSC® logo that is so widely known around the world.

Border Hardwood Accreditations

Border Hardwood is also a long-standing member of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification® (PEFC®). PEFC® is another non-profit organisation who promote sustainable forest management. This programme is also independently audited, requiring us to demonstrate of our commitment to the chain of custody procedure.

Again, we are proud to be able to display the PEFC® logo which again demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and responsibly sourced timber.

Although there is no certification, we happily conform to the European Union Timber Regulation which has been enforced in the UK since 2013. The EUTR prohibits the import and sale of any illegally harvested timber within the EU.

Sustainability On Site

Our commitment to sustainable business practices extends beyond the Oak that we supply, through to the way we run our head office in Shropshire.

Operating mainly out of our site in Shropshire, we aim to be as energy and water efficient as possible; further enhancing and cementing the business mission statement in our culture.

To ensure our sawmill is run efficiently, we have installed solar panels, to reduce the electricity consumption of the site. We also use rainwater harvesting to reduce our water consumption and the businesses use of clean water.

Further to this £200,000 has been spent installing a biomass boiler, that fuels the kiln used to dry our Oak.

All of this investment into renewable technologies on-site helps us to reduce the carbon footprint of the business and helps us become more sustainable.

We have a dedicated internal sustainability officer, who is committed to ensuring we are running our business in a way to limit our environmental impact.

Enquire About Sustainability