Photo credit: Innar Hunt Films
On the 18th March, PEFC UK Executive Director, John Kirkby travelled to Tallinn for a market seminar organised by our colleagues at PEFC Estonia. The seminar, which was which was organised in collaboration with PEFC Belgium, aimed to showcase the market opportunities that are available for Estonian companies involved in the forest and wood industry.
In addition to PEFC, the UK was also represented by Dave Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK (TDUK) and Dr Paul Newman, Technical Director at the Structural Timber Association (STA) who provided an in-depth overview of the UK market and regulatory landscape for companies wishing to trade here.
Dave Hopkins was keen to reassure that despite Brexit, the UK is still very open to business and whilst there is a move towards utilising more homegrown timber under the UK Government’s endorsed Timber in Construction Roadmap, given that we currently import 80% of the timber products we use, the market for imported products will remain viable.
Dave also set out the regulatory framework that products would need to comply with to enter the UK, including compliance with the UK Timber Regulations (UKTR), and how certification under a scheme such as PEFC would be demanded by the majority of customers. This point was the basis for the PEFC UK presentation, as John set out the changing certification landscape with increasing availability of PEFC certified products and more and more companies recognising the certification within their procurement policies.
Paul Newman provided a more specific overview of the regulatory requirements within the construction sector referring to the current Building Regulations, the forthcoming Future Homes Standard and best practice that is recognised within quality assurance schemes such as STA Assure.
As well as presentations, the event also provided positive networking opportunities with companies who already trade or who wish to trade in the UK in the future.
Speaking about the event, John said:
“The seminar has provided a great opportunity for us to show the market potential for PEFC certified products in the UK and we thank our colleagues at PEFC Estonia for organising the event and hosting us. The stong attendance shows that Estonian companies view the UK market favourably and we are happy to assist them further where we can.”
Photo credit: Innar Hunt Films