In the last few years, the sustainability issue has become increasingly important. People are more aware that our actions today will affect the world tomorrow, as we are experimenting with the problem of climate change.
Consumers are therefore more prone to buy products that come from a sustainable wood manufacturing company, but how do you recognize a real eco-friendly supplier?
Let’s discuss the topic in the following article.
What does a sustainable wood manufacturing company mean?
The following is the definition of sustainable business by Wikipedia:
A sustainable business, or a green business, is an enterprise that has minimal negative impact or potentially a positive effect on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy […] In general, business is described as green if it matches the following four criteria:- it incorporates principles of sustainability into each of its business decisions
- it supplies environmentally friendly products or services that replaces demand for nongreen products and/or services
- it is greener than traditional competition
- Ii has made an enduring commitment to environmental principles in its business operations
Thus, being sustainable goes beyond the simple use of recyclable raw materials. Sustainability concerns the whole production process of the manufacturing company.
It refers to doing the entire business without negatively affecting the planet and society, from collection of the raw materials to production and distribution, finding a balance between profitability, environmental concern, and social commitment.
What should a wood manufacturing company do to be considered sustainable?
Let’s analyse the three different phases of the production process.
Collection of wood
Many people believe that cutting trees is related to deforestation, but this is not always the case. If the company applies sustainable forest management practices, logging can be beneficial for the conservation of forests, biodiversity, and the natural ecosystem.
Have a look at the video below by National Geographic:
As explained in the video, in a responsibly managed forest, for every tree harvested, another one replaces it, ensuring preservation of the natural wildlife.
According to the WWF—the World Wildlife Fund—responsible forest management can help protect vulnerable forests from illegal logging, encroachment, or conversion to farmland and meet society’s needs without depleting natural capital.
We talked about the benefits of sustainable logging for the planet in this article.
FSC and PEFC certification ensure that the wood company uses wood that only comes from responsibly managed forests, also providing environmental, social, and economic benefits to local communities and workers.
Before choosing your supplier of wooden components, you must verify that it complies with the standards cited above.
Two other regulations are important to consider: EUTR 995 (EU market) and the Lacey Act (U.S. market) to ensure that wood doesn’t come from any area of illegally harvested timber.
Using fast-growing timbers, e.g., beech, hornbeam, maple, ash, and birch, demonstrates a great attention to sustainability and also reduction of the carbon footprint.
Transparency is one of the most important points to consider when evaluating a company’s sustainability. It means disclosing all the important information about its products, sourcing of its materials, how the company is managed, and what it does to lessen the environmental effect. The most sustainable companies release annual sustainability reports.
Production
A wood maker that operates following an eco-friendly approach tries to reduce its energy consumption and minimize discarded materials, following the principles of a circular economy model.
It uses scraps to fuel heating systems and drying chambers or create wooden blocks to stock for future production of smaller items.
It also makes periodic audits to have a clear idea of consumption and uses energy-efficient implants and machinery whenever possible to increase its efficiency.
Distribution
The emission of polluting gases is a serious problem for our atmosphere, as it causes the so-called greenhouse effect and increases the carbon footprint of every activity.
Transport accounts for a quarter of global CO₂ emissions. According to the International Energy Agency, CO2 emissions from the global transport sector fell by more than 10% in 2020, as restrictions caused by the pandemic emergency altered personal mobility patterns, global supply chains, and domestic and international travel. Transport demand in 2021 rebounded, however, with demand for passenger and cargo transport expected to continue increasing rapidly.
A reliable wood manufacturing company should work to reduce the negative effect of transportation and logistics, trying to make them more sustainable.
For example, producing wooden objects where the raw material is collected helps shorten the process that wood goes through to reach production, reducing pollution and the carbon footprint.
Generation Z, i.e., people born between 1997 and 2012, is emerging as the sustainability generation as we see in this article by Forbes. It means they prefer buying sustainable objects and are willing to spend even 10 percent more on them. A company’s environmental effort is very important for them when deciding whether or not to make a purchase.
It means that including sustainable custom wood products in your catalogue can make you more competitive and gives you the opportunity to attract new customers.
The Minelli Group has always focused on sustainability: in 1999, we were among the first to be certified by the FSC when it was not yet a standard. Today, we are also PEFC certified.
We recently underwent an EcoVadis Audit and received a highly positive rating in terms of environmental, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement impact.
This demonstrates our sincere dedication to pursue a responsible manufacturing model that respects the environment as well as all ethical aspects of business.
If you are looking for a sustainable wood manufacturing company, do not hesitate to contact us!
