Timber is the world's only self-rejuvenating, renewable resource. It is unique amongst conventional construction materials in that during its growth, harvesting and re-planting life cycle it is the only one, when properly managed, that adds to natural capital. All other conventional building materials ultimately deplete the earth's finite natural resources.
Timber and forest products are the only natural resource to have comprehensive internationally recognised Chain of Custody schemes which are robust, independently audited and uninterrupted from forest to final end-use. The schemes demonstrate the indisputable sustainability of wood and wood products as the world's most environmentally friendly raw material.
The CTH Group supports independent third-party audited Chain of Custody certification of forestry & forest products and recognises this as the best way of demonstrating good environmental management. Five of the CTH Group member companies have PEFC and FSC® Chain of Custody certificates and are members of PEFC UK. The vast majority of all softwood timber imported and distributed by CTH Group companies is certified under one or other of these environmental management schemes, as are the majority of panel products sourced from the UK and Europe. In accordance with their stated environmental objectives, the Group companies importing panel products from further afield procure only from sustainable and well managed sources, preferably from producers that own their forestry concessions and where logging licenses may be seen. It is the intention of the CTH Group actively to seek to increase the proportion of certified material handled.
With regard to the procurement of both timber and panel products, senior members of the CTH Group companies regularly visit our primary producers and principal suppliers to verify that the best environmental forestry management is being practiced. Our procurement is heavily biased towards the temperate forests of the Nordic countries and Canada, where forestry is a vital element of their national economies. Forestry has provided a way of life there for centuries and the preservation of the forest for future generations has long been a defining feature of the sawmilling industry. These countries have for many years been at the forefront of environmental responsibility and to this day their forestry management practices are amongst the best in the world. The CTH Group is proud of its long association with the independent sawmills from which we procure timber and panel products and we believe we hold a duty to ensure the preservation of our global forest resource for the benefit of this and future generations. We are in a good position to assure our customers that the forest products they buy from the CTH Group come with the highest environmental pedigree.
