While timber flooring can look fantastic, it shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment. If you’re concerned about the logging of old-growth forests – and we all should be – choose a sustainable product.
Sustainable Wood
When talking to your floorer, ensure they’ll be using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber for your timber flooring.
FSC is the only international certification and labelling system for timber and sets the standard for credible forest management.
FSC-branded wood guarantees:
- Forests are well-managed to ensure continued benefits for future generations, with biodiversity maintained and minimal impact on soils and waterways.
- The rights of indigenous people are protected.
- Forest management is legal and does not use genetically modified organisms.
- Local communities living in or close to the forest benefit from its management and use.
FSC certified wood can be easily identified by a well-recognised logo of a green tree. If you can’t find this distinctive stamp it doesn’t mean your timber flooring isn’t “legit”, it might just mean the supplier hasn’t applied the label. To double-check your timber flooring is certified you can ask to see the supplier’s product tracking information or invoice (which should indicate FSC certification).
Greenpeace’s Good Wood Guide is another way of locating sustainable products for your timber flooring. Supported by the FSC, the Good Wood Guide was developed to help stop the importation of illegally harvested timber from the Paradise Forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Solomon Islands.
The guide assists you in buying eco-friendly, “good” wood for your timber flooring. The Good Wood Guide also highlights the benefits of Ecotimber. Ecotimber is wood produced by communities in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea with assistance from Greenpeace. Ectotimber is occasionally shipped to Australia and could be a smart choice for your timber flooring.
Recycled Wood
Recycled or salvaged timber is another option for your timber flooring. Supporting the old saying “someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure,” recycled timber is commonly salvaged from demolished houses, old buildings, factories and warehouses, and then restored. Recycled wood is not just kind on the environment, but makes for a timber floor that’s rich in character. Why not give it a go?
