– Producer of Accoya wood calls on government to improve the enforcement of the European Union Timber Regulation
– The goal is to end deforestation around the world and to shift to 100% sustainable wood products by 2020
Accsys Technologies, the chemical technology company and producer of Accoya, the world leading modified wood product, has strengthened its commitment to responsible forest trade by joining the WWF campaign against forest destruction.
The campaign calls on the UK Government to close legal loopholes in the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR), which currently mean that less than 50% of the value of timber products coming into Europe has a confirmed legal source. WWF’s goal is to help end deforestation around the world with a shift to 100% sustainable timber and wood products by 2020.
Illegal and unsustainable logging contributes to deforestation and degradation across the world’s most important forest regions such as Russia’s Far East, Central Africa, Latin America and South East Asia and has a massive impact on the habitats of some of the world’s most endangered species, as well as local people and indigenous communities in some of the world’s poorest countries.
By partnering with WWF, Accsys hopes to raise awareness about the transnational issue of deforestation whilst also working towards promoting Accoya as a replacement wood product.
According to a study, conducted by the German federal agency for raw materials, building with wood is not only more cost effective but it’s more environmentally friendly. However, wood is not always an option due to the EU’s stringent timber regulations – imports of tropical plywood and logs are decreasing – but this is a void which Accoya, a modified wood fills.
Paul Clegg, chief executive of Accsys Technologies, said: “The principles of environmental responsibility and sustainability lie at the core of what we do here at Accsys Technologies. Using our advanced and patented acetylation technology, we provide a durable and reliable soft wood from renewable sources to rival or exceed the performance of less sustainable hard wood.
“WWF’s campaign is critically important to our industry, and adding our support is our way of further strengthening our commitment to responsible forest trade.”
Julia Young, manager, WWF Global Forest and Trade Network UK, said: “Timber is a versatile product that will increasingly be developed into innovative products, and Accsys are right to be exploring and developing ways to bring it to more diverse uses in our markets. We are glad that they have made this commitment to responsible forest trade by joining the WWF Forest Campaign, adding their name nearly 40 companies and a major trade association, and supporting our call to the UK government and EU to take action to ensure a future for our forests.
“This is an important year for forests, as the EU Timber regulation is being reviewed – which provides opportunity for improvements to be made so that all timber products are covered and the legislation is enforced consistently across Europe.”
All organizations supporting the campaign deliver forest products to the UK market. In addition to Accsys Technologies, they include Marks and Spencer, Penguin Random House UK and Carillion.
Created using Accsys Technologies’ propriety acetylation technology, Accoya is one of the most advanced modified wood products on the market, which delivers outstanding levels of performance, exceptional stability and outstanding Class 1 durability. Accoya boasts excellent environmental credentials and is made from wood sourced from FSC certified and sustainable forests. As well as C2C Gold Accredited, the product is also 100% non-toxic.