Simon Woods, European Sales, Marketing and Logistics Director of West Fraser explains how the company is helping the construction industry to help the environment
As the world becomes more and more aware of the effect we have on the planet, it is important for the construction industry to realise how it affects the world in ways it doesn’t intend to.
At West Fraser, our products are net carbon negative. This means that we lock up more carbon in the products than we emit in the end-to-end production and distribution of them (delivery to our customers’ gates). Attaining net carbon negativity, as we have done, is a significant step and demonstrates the company’s determination to be a market leader in sustainable, climate-friendly products. As wood is the main component of West Fraser’s products, carbon is sequestered and locked up for the board’s lifetime. Particleboard products have the added advantage of containing 70-80% post-consumer recycled wood; this is also used in OSB. As a result, the company’s four European sites and three product ranges lock up a total of 1.18 million tonnes of CO2e per year, equivalent to the CO2 from 200,265 homes’ electricity.
West Fraser’s net carbon negative products’ status benefits specifiers and users of the company’s engineered wood panel products. When used in construction, these products can move a project’s carbon count in the right direction assisting companies to meet net zero targets, which is good for reputation, compliance and the planet.
In every SterlingOSB Zero board more carbon from the atmosphere is locked up than is emitted during manufacture, locking it up into long term storage. Per cubic metre, SterlingOSB Zero has sequestered 828kg of CO2e. The vast majority of the wood used is homegrown, minimising carbon emissions from transport while ensuring it is always available and offers a cost-effective building solution.
West Fraser is a diversified wood products company with more than 60 facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. From responsibly sourced and sustainably managed forest resources, it produces lumber, engineered wood (OSB, LVL, MDF, plywood, particleboard), and other products including pulp, newsprint, wood chips and renewable energy. The company’s products are used in construction, repair and remodelling, industrial applications, papers, tissue and box materials.
