West Fraser Helps Housebuilders Meet Net Zero Targets

West Fraser has always been committed to being at the environmental forefront within its industry. The company promotes the benefits of sustainable forestry, with young, fast-growing trees being the lungs of Earth, breathing in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during the day to help generate a healthy world in which we can all thrive. The company’s well-managed stocks also provide the raw material for the company’s panel products.  As well as planting more trees than it harvests, West Fraser has made significant investment in low carbon technologies so that sustainable wood panels are recyclable at the end of their life, for re-use long after the initial function has passed.

For the housebuilder looking to meet Net Zero targets, therefore, the specification of  West Fraser’s comprehensive range of  high-performance board products is quite literally a natural choice. For instance, the company manufactures SterlingOSB Zero which, because it’s responsibly made and sold here within the UK, embodies lower transportation carbon than plywood, or other competing imports. This helps the brand achieve an A+ rating in the BRE Green Guide, the highest rating possible, while even the waste wood which comprises 68^% of the company’s ubiquitous CaberFloor particleboard product is conscientiously sourced.

All West Fraser UK’s manufacturing sites are certified to the exhaustive environmental criteria of ISO14001. The fact that the company monitors emissions, treats process as well as rainwater run-off and has converted to using biomass energy for its drying processes all makes positive contributions. Interestingly, West Fraser entered into an agreement with the UK Government to reduce fossil fuel usage by 10^% by 2012. But by the summer of 2007, the majority of its mills in Europe were firing up on biomass, burning excess timber residue produced on site, and helping to reduce the company’s dependence on energy generated using fossil fuels.

In the UK, West Fraser has now achieved a 45^% reduction in fossil fuel combustion over the past five years and is aiming for 80^% of its heat requirements used in the wood fibre drying process, to warm offices and other staff areas, to come from biomass sources. Presently, 75^% of the energy used to produce its sustainable wood panel products is derived from renewable sources. ‘Across the board’, West Fraser consumes 1.5 million metric tonnes of biomass for energy every year - saving the equivalent of some two million barrels of oil.

As a result of its investment in clean technologies and steps such as signing contracts which guarantee all of its electricity comes from renewable sources, the company’s UK operations are now officially net carbon negative – the products locking up more CO2 than is emitted in their production. West Fraser is also outpacing competitors in other areas.

For, while the EU Commission has suffered capacity issues with the computer systems ahead of next year’s roll out of its Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), West Fraser is fully prepared and has strict protocols in place to ensure that it only buys fully compliant timber from responsibly managed sources. Therefore, not only are West Fraser’s panel products produced using raw materials from trusted, traceable sources, they fully meet the obligations for the United Kingdom Timber Regulation (UKTR) while the manufacturer holds both FSC^® C012553 and PEFC certification.

Inevitably, packaging for the boards is needed for transportation; the client/builder looking to meet net zero products can though be reassured that West Fraser is acutely aware of the environmental impact excess packaging can have, which is why all cardboard it uses for this purpose is made from recycled card, which in turn is suitable for further recycling. Even the film on its CaberDek can be recycled after it has been peeled off while minimal plastic is used for packaging, with regular reviews of the materials used being undertaken in the effort to further reduce waste.

Ultimately, when they come to be used either on-site or in a factory setting, the consistent quality and dimensional accuracy of the West Fraser panel products will help deliver greater efficiency along with reduced wastage resulting from fewer incidents of damage or the need for remedial work.  For instance, SterlingOSB Zero not only exhibits good resistance to accidental damage through handling, when it is utilised for the production of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) the two faces will align perfectly which negates the need for panels to be trimmed, or when CaberDek is fixed across floor joists or the top face of floor cassettes, there is not tendency for the joints to creep or ‘grin’.  

A recently published four-page factsheet entitled ‘Carbon Negative, Positive Future’ describes how the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability is rooted in science and guided by global standards.”

For samples of West Fraser construction panels or to explore the range further, visit https://uk.westfraser.com/samples/. A designated housebuilder page offers a range of tools, including an interactive guide to all West Fraser products and a checklist to ensure you have everything you need for your build. Also helpful is the chart - https://uk.westfraser.com/resources/help-advice/installation-instructions