There are lots of small things we can all do to live more sustainably, from cutting down on plastic to reducing our fuel use. Wood is often seen as a key sustainable material to help all of us cut down on waste, but did you know that not all wood is sustainable?
Classic woods have been part of English furniture for many years, from oak bar stools to pine tables. However, as we all think more about our impact on the environment, it’s crucial to understand where wood is being sourced to ensure it’s something that can continue to add joy to our lives for generations to come.
How Sustainable Is Wood?
Wood has been used ever since animals have inhabited this Earth, and long before issues such as sustainability became apparent. After all, it offers a perfect balance between strength and flexibility, making it perfect for both comfortable furniture and rigid buildings.
There are a few aspects that make wood a particularly sustainable material, but the main one is that it can be regrown without requiring additional power. While things like plastic and metal can sometimes be reused, they often require powerful machines to melt and reshape them, whereas new trees can be planted and regrow with minimal help.
Other aspects that make wood so sustainable include how it provides benefits before and after being used as a material; planted trees help regulate CO2 in our environment, while old wood can biodegrade and provide habitats and nutrients to the natural world.
How Sustainable is Oak Wood?
Of course, wood is quite a broad term. There are lots of different trees that all provide slightly different things, both as materials and as trees in the natural world.
Oak is an incredibly strong and versatile wood that has been used in construction for hundreds of years. It's a slow-growing tree that stores a lot of CO2 throughout its long life, which it retains even when processed.
Waste produced when felling oak, such as bark and sawdust, is also used in various other industries, such as agriculture, ensuring not a single part of the tree goes to waste.
How Sustainable is Pine Wood?
Pine is a particularly sustainable softwood material, in large part thanks to its fast-growing properties. Some pine trees can reach maturity in 25-30 years, meaning it's easier to create a self-sustaining circular process where felled trees are replaced and regrown at scale.
As with other woods, pine trees capture CO2 during their life and retain it when turned into materials. Pine is also biodegradable, meaning it can provide value to the environment even after use.
Pictured: Our handcrafted Charlbury Stool, made from European FSC solid oak
How to Tell if Wood is Sustainable
Wood is a crucial part of all our efforts to care for the environment. However, this only works if we use wood in a sustainable way.
Historically, people cut down trees to use as wood without planting new ones, which has led to a reduction in forests worldwide. While this approach is fast, efficient and cheap, if everyone continued working in this way, we would eventually run out of wood. Therefore, it’s crucial that wood is being used in a sustainable way where chopped trees are being replaced.
There are various international institutions and local bodies that help to ensure any wood materials being used are harvested in a sustainable way. You will sometimes see their logos on products, meaning that the wood materials used in the product have come from truly sustainable sources.
We at The Wainhouse Co always source our wood from places registered with the following groups:
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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – One of the largest and most recognisable organisations providing a framework for sustainable forest management.
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Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) – Another global organisation committed to sustainable forest management.
Why Sustainable Wood is Crucial for All of Us
By making sure to only use wood from certified sustainable forests, it’s possible to embody everything that is good about wood as a sustainable material in our products.
According to a 2019 report by the North London Waste Authority, 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded each year in the UK. After many generations of rising consumerism, more people now recognise that this is not sustainable for the planet.
Now more than ever, it’s important for all of us to try to buy quality products that can last. By using the highest-quality sustainable wood alongside traditional crafting methods, we hope to play our part in helping to reduce waste and ensure there will be more forests for future generations to love and enjoy.
We hope that you feel the same way. If you’re looking for ways to style your home sustainably, explore our collection of handmade wooden furniture today.