All organisation’s should understand a respect their corporate social responsibility and this includes environmental commitments. At Whittle Flooring Company Limited we are proud of our environmental commitments and stand by them. Furthermore, we ensure our approach keeps the environment as a priority and puts it first, minimising our impact wherever possible.
Environmental Management System
Whittle Flooring Company Limited’s ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System has been certified by BSI under certificate number EMS623449. The backbone of our environmental policy is to source our timber products from sustainable forests with a full chain of custody from PEFC certified suppliers. We tirelessly check and assess our use of raw materials and energy resources to minimise our environmental impact as every stage.
Exploring our environmental commitments
The most evident example of our commitment to the environment is our use of specially selected Finnish birch plywood. Below is a closer look at some of the key environmental benefits of this choice of material:
Carbon neutrality
Wood from sustainable forests is often found to be better than carbon neutral. This is due to the carbon sink effects of the forests. As trees absorb a tonne of carbon dioxide for every cubic metre of growth. They also produce 750g of oxygen, tipping the scales away from carbon.
Stable supply
In Finland there are specific quotes for felling and replanting trees. The ratio of trees is controlled by their regulatory authorities. Therefore, there will never be a time where all the trees are gone and guarantees a long-term consistent supply while keeping the environment alive.
Recyclability
Plywood and the wood waste we produce in our production processes can be recycled in a number of ways. There is high demand for reusable plywood and wood waste and we ensure our waste is properly handled.
Construction
All our Finnish birch plywood uses from 1.4mm veneers cross-bonded using phenolic resin adhesive to provide a weather resistant gluing according to EN 314-2:1993 (Plywood – Bonding) Class 3 exterior (known formerly as WBP). This ensures an overall plywood specification under EN636: 2003 Class 3 : This is suitable for unprotected exterior use and exposure to frequent wetting.
Low emissions
Our Finnish birch plywood satisfies and exceeds the most stringent Formaldehyde emission test with less than 0.05 particles per million, minimising the health and safety risk to production staff using the material. Finnish Birch plywood is certified Emissions Class E1 (EN 717-2) and Release Class A (EN 1084) The long term goal is remove the risk of Formaldehyde emissions altogether.
Honouring our environmental commitments
We work to ensure the environment does not suffer unnecessarily as a result of our production. Our choice of plywood is specific to ensure minimal environmental impact. Get in touch to discuss this in more depth and any projects you need our help with.