Timber: How poor design can make sustainable choices unsustainable
As part the drive for sustainability, much of the design world is starting to question the materials that we take for granted. Products that are commonplace in the construction industry and have gone unquestioned for years.
To create a society more closely aligned to nature and not damaging to the environment, we must address how we source and access the materials that go into every product, building or device on the planet. Many of us understand that enormous environmental damage is caused by substandard design, poor manufacturing and inadequate waste management systems. However, we often neglect to acknowledge the impact of extraction or the harvesting of materials on the planet. Most materials we use in our daily lives come with an environmental cost, be they renewables or non-renewables, but few of us consider that cost when we create a product or space.
Timber as a sustainable material is often misunderstood
In today's world, a design's environmental and social impact is just as important as style, cost, or function. Producing outcomes that positively impact the planet and people is not a question of sustainability, simply good and bad design. Therefore, as a designer, I must understand the origin of the materials I use to maximise my design outcomes and ensure my creations are fit for purpose.
Timber is the most obvious example of a renewable material, which has been valuable to humans for thousands of years, used for shelter, tools, boat building and fuel. It remains one of humanity’s most vital natural resources. A wide variety of timber species provide variations in strength, durability and flexibility and many aesthetic options. It never fades in and out of fashion; it is a staple part of the built environment. However, it is a good example of a renewable material that is often misunderstood and considered to be a ‘sustainable option’, despite huge environmental consequences because of high demand.
The timber market has grown globally - as has the length of the supply chains
There has been significant growth in the timber market year on year, primarily due to the rise in consumption in the developing world, which places enormous pressure on the rainforests and woodlands of the world.[i] The exploitation of forests and woodlands for agriculture, timber extraction and construction has seen global tree coverage fall year on year, at an alarming rate, highlighting the need for effective management plans and responsible use.
Traditionally, the world’s largest producers of timber are Canada, the US, China, Russia and Brazil. While most of these countries have legislation in place to protect and manage the long-term health of their forests and the ecosystems they sustain, the increasing demand for timber means that illegal logging is rampant. Rainforests covering parts of South America, West Africa and South-East Asia, as well as The Boreal Forests, covering large parts of Canada, Russia and Scandinavia are all under strain. The US, EU and Australia have passed laws in recent years to ban imported timber from illegal sources. However, this is not easy to manage. Corruption is rife in the sale and distribution of wood, which is worsened by distant, complicated and elongated supply chains.
When the ‘workshop of the world’ is forced to demand cheap wood
In a report by Chatham House in 2015, researchers concluded that China was the world’s largest importer of illegal timber.[ii] But this should come as no surprise. China has become the workshop of the world, so the demand for high volumes of timber – at low prices – is clear and obvious. But this problem is not one for Chinese manufacturing alone or any other country that relies on large volumes of timber from sources of illegal logging. In looking for solutions, we often make the mistake of going to the root of the problem (excuse the pun) and ignore the broader systemic issues driving the supply and consumption of cheap wood. If businesses continue to use products at unrealistically low prices and fail to interrogate the supply chains appropriately, then they are just as much of the problem. Also, if retailers continue to stimulate demand for cheap ‘throwaway’ timber products, driving down cost, then exploitation of resources is inevitable.
Illegal logging accounts for around ten percent of timber production
Businesses and manufacturers must understand where their materials and resources come from, and demand credible, traceable supply chains. Admittedly this can be hard to achieve with corruption and forged documentation. An investigation by Greenpeace in 2018 found that widespread fraud was allowing massive quantities of illegal timber to reach the EU, despite tight regulations. Greenpeace EU forest policy director Sébastien Risso said, ‘Logging in the Brazilian Amazon is out of control. It’s practically impossible to guarantee that timber from the region comes from legal operations.’[iii] This practice is hugely problematic environmentally, but illegal logging also has a profound impact on the communities within countries like Brazil. By smuggling timber abroad and avoiding taxes and duties, governments lose out on valuable tax revenues. According to the World Bank, global markets lose as much as $10 billion annually from illegal logging[iv] and by some estimates, as much as 8-10% of global timber production violates international laws.[v] You can reasonably conclude that many products are kept cheap as a consequence of stealing assets and resources from other countries.
According to a 2020 report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, the world has lost 178 million hectares of forest since 1990 – an area over seven times the size of the UK. The rate of net forest loss has decreased year on year due to tighter legislation and better systems of traceability – reducing deforestation. However, we are still losing approximately 4.7 million hectares a year[vi] – an area greater than the size of Denmark.
Wildlife, soil and the climate suffer most at the hands of the logging industry
One of the damaging effects of deforestation is the loss of biodiversity. When forest cover goes, wildlife can lose access to food and shelter. It can also affect migration routes and cause the displacement of a variety of species. Given the fact that approximately 80% of the world’s documented species live in Earth’s rainforests, from toucans to tigers, from leopards to lemurs, deforestation is an existential threat to most of the wildlife on Earth.[vii]
Another issue as a consequence of deforestation is climate change. The scientific community widely accepts that excess carbon in the atmosphere leads to a warming of the planet. The international community must not only reduce the rate at which carbon goes into the atmosphere but also capture and store it. Our forests and oceans are carbon sinks, natural reservoirs that absorb and capture more carbon than they release. So, deforestation is reducing the ability of the earth to capture and store carbon at a time when it is needed most.
Soil erosion is another significant problem often neglected. When tree cover disappears, along with the protective layer of leaf litter, then the damp forest floor is exposed to the sun. In some cases, the ground can dry out and turn to desert, decreasing land productivity and access to food and shelter. But clearing large areas of the forest also increases the risk of humanitarian disaster, as land can become unstable and high volumes of water cause vast amounts of surface run-off leading to flooding and mudslides.
There are ways to source wood well
Renewables can and should be a positive source of material for all parts of the natural world, now and in the future. But our linear system of consumption, fuelled by artificial demand is immensely damaging. So, what can we do? Firstly, we must trust in global certifications such as FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) and the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) who promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Although corruption exists, these bodies are still the best line of defence. They can help to protect renewables from an environmental, social and economic perspective. While designers, manufacturers and retailers can and need to steer demand.
We can avoid species that we know are under threat. Timbers such as ebony and mahogany are widely known to be problematic. But we consume many mainstream timbers day to day such as rosewood found in Brazil, Honduras and Southern India; teak from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Ecuador and Costa Rica; and wenge & zebrano from West Africa, which is used in fine cabinet making.[viii] Designers, manufacturers and retailers can make more informed decisions and direct their business away from exploitative markets, towards properly managed sources of materials and resources.
Ensuring that what we specify is what we get
We also need to build trusting relationships throughout the supply chain to ensure the materials we want – as designers, manufacturers, retailers, or customers – are the materials we get. On many occasions, we have specified materials in our designs, and manufacturers try to substitute them to save money – sourcing them from elsewhere. In some cases, it is underhand, but most of the time, suppliers think you are only interested in quality and appearance. In my experience, very few designers question, let alone demand, a credible and traceable source of material. That has to change.
Finally, we have to value this material differently and consider the wider implications of our choices. Some oaks may only grow 6 - 12 inches a year and take anywhere from 75 – 150 years to reach full maturity. In many cases these trees were alive and growing well before any of our great grandparents were born. Therefore, is it right to use oak in a short-term project; a shop fit that will be stripped out in one year, or a hotel that will be renovated in 5-8 years. Although oak is perfectly suitable in terms of cost, quality and appearance; given these time scales, there could be no justification in using it. We can’t complain about deforestation if we support and endorse these extractive processes. We can, however, use these materials if we design spaces and furniture with a long-term mind set. One that values the material and it origins.
References
[i] FIM Services Limited. ‘Update on Global Timber Supply.’ October 2017, greshamhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/b559c09a1d19574edffdb71b3cfb249c_df1552964b6c5812ba8314ec47e52a42.pdf
[ii] Darby, Megan. ‘Illegal logging resurges on Chinese timber demand.’ Climate Home News, 15 July 2015, www.climatechangenews.com/2015/07/15/illegal-logging-resurges-on-chinese-timber-demand-report/
[iii] Greenpeace. ‘Greenpeace investigation: EU imports of Amazon timber tainted by widespread fraud in Brazil.’ 20 March 2018, www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/nature-food/1170/greenpeace-investigation-eu-imports-of-amazon-timber-tainted-by-widespread-fraud-in-brazil/
[iv] World Wildlife Fund WWF. ‘Illegal logging.’ 2020, wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_causes2/illegal_logging/
[v] World Wildlife Fund WWF. ‘Timber overview.’ 2020, www.worldwildlife.org/industries/timber
[vi] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ‘Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.’ 2020, www.fao.org/3/ca9825en/CA9825EN.pdf
[vii] World Wildlife Fund WWF. ‘Timber overview.’ 2020, www.worldwildlife.org/industries/timber
[viii] Rainforest Relief ‘Guidelines for Avoiding Wood from Endangered Forests.’ 2021, www.rainforestrelief.org/documents/Guidelines.pdf