Majjie's Blog

I've finally got round to writing the third part of this blog on timber worktops ... looking at the environmental issues. Apologies for the delay, if any of you were waiting with bated breath.

Part 1 and Part 2 of the blog were on the appearance/quality of timber worktops and the maintenance of them, respectively.

On the face of it, timber is a very good choice of material for worktops if you are environmentally conscious. Timber is a natural, renewable resource and is fully recyclable after use. Ideally, though, any timber used should have been grown locally and that's a problem in the UK because 85% of the timber used in this country is imported. There is also the question of sustainability and, for tropical hardwoods, the destruction of tropical rainforests.

Living trees are important for the environment, in that they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, provide habitats for thousands of animal, plant and insect species and also provide desirable environments for native peoples. Once felled and used in timber products, the wood continues to store the carbon utilised and will continue to do so whilst it is still intact. Wood can be repaired and re-used and is also biodegradable. Many timber processing plants and sawmills use their own timber waste as an energy source and waste wood can also be recycled into animal bedding and made into composite boards such as chipboard or MDF.



In the kitchen, solid timber is non-toxic, doesn't burn rapidly in the event of a fire, and will not sag or melt whilst burning (not that anyone plans to have a fire in their kitchen ... but even so ... ). Wood is also naturally antibacterial and is more hygienic, when used as a worktop, than many people imagine. Care of timber tops can be an issue (see Part 2 of this series of blogs) but compared to the alternatives, timber can be a good environmental choice ... and it looks good and performs well too.

Laminate worktops are made from a chipboard core with a sheet melamine surface. Chipboard can be a problem environmentally because, although it is made from waste timber, the manufacture usually involves glues containing formaldehyde which can then be released into the environment both during manufacture and afterwards. If you buy good quality laminate worktops, though, they will be made from low emission chipboard and additionally will be sealed - to prevent water getting in - which will also help prevent any formaldehyde emission from the end product. Melamine too is combined with formaldehyde - in the formation of melamine resins (which are toxic) - but the dried melamine facings are of low toxicity. I wouldn't worry about good quality laminate worktops from a chemical safety point of view ... but compared with solid timber they have a higher energy and water requirement for production - and the melamine surface makes recycling difficult.

The man-made worktop materials, such as solid surfaces and quartz composites, often claim to use waste materials or re-cycled materials in their composition ... which is undoubtedly true. They also have the advantage that they are long lasting and less often replaced than laminate worktops but, compared to solid timber, their manufacture requires relatively high energy inputs and they are not biodegradable and not usually re-cycled. Most, if not all, of the quartz composites used in the Uk are also imported and so will have travelled long distances.

Granite is a natural material but it isn't renewable (unless you're going to wait thousands, if not millions, of years!). It is also quarried or mined, which can cause considerable environmental damage, and many granites come from places far away like India, Italy and China - so transport is again a problem. Granite worktops will last a long time - potentially 50 years, or more - but most people don't keep their kitchens that long and granite is rarely recycled.

Slate, which is surface quarried, is more environmentally friendly than granite, especially if it is sourced from the UK. Only a few slates are really suitable for worktops, though. Check the quality carefully.

There are greener worktop alternatives, such as material made from recycled glass or plastic coffee cups - but they're not widely available. The main, eco-friendly alternative to wood is bamboo (see Part 1) - which being made from what is basically a fast growing grass, is eminently renewable.



So, if you're going to use timber worktops ... and possibly timber seating and window cills ... as in the kitchen I designed above (with maple tops); what should you do to make sure your choice is as environmentally friendly as possible?

Well, the ideal would be to use recycled timber sourced locally but, in practice, it will be hard to find timber in the right sizes for worktops and in the right condition. Have a look for old shop counters and laboratory benches ... or old kitchen worktops where you can cut pieces to fit your kitchen. You're more likely to be able to use recycled material if you're happy with a mix of finishes and can use several sources for your timber.

If you're going to use imported wood, then rubberwood is a good environmental choice - since it comes from trees at the end of their productive life, which are due to be cut down anyway (see Part 1).

If you don't want recycled wood or rubberwood, you need to find timber from a sustainable source. That means that, for every tree cut down, at least one is planted and that the felling of the trees is managed to reduce any impact on wildlife habitats and indigenous peoples. Ideally the wood will also come from a specially grown plantation, rather than native forest ... but only if the forest wasn't cleared to make room for the plantation in the first place (it's all horribly complicated).

The trouble is - virtually every timber supplier you come across these days, will have a bland statement saying that their wood is "all from sustainable sources". You have no idea how true that is ... and how closely the supplier has checked his sources ... even if you ask. When I was doing my research, I sent e-mails to some of the big suppliers asking about the environmental credentials of their iroko worktops ... and none of them replied!

To be certain that your timber has been harvested sustainably, you need to buy certified wood. There are more than 50 forest certification schemes around the world but only those which also include "chain of custody" certification will ensure that your wood is from a truly sustainable source (and even then, certificates can be illegally come by). According to the WWF, only one scheme meets all the desired criteria and that's the Forest Stewardship Council or FSC. Look for their logo:



Look for a supplier who is certified by the FSC - but also check the individual type of timber top that you want. Just because the supplier is FSC certified, it doesn't mean that all their products are. The other main scheme that you're likely to come across is the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certificates, or PEFC. This is a much larger scheme which includes chain of custody certification and which is recognised by the UK government ... but not by WWF or Greenpeace, who say that PEFC standards aren't stringent enough.

If your timber worktops come from trees in the UK, or from France or Germany or Sweden, then they are highly likely to be FSC certified (although very few worktops are made from UK timber and most Swedish imports are of softwood, not used for worktops). Many of the Eastern European countries also have timber available under the FSC scheme but wood from America is much less likely to have FSC certification, since the main scheme there, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), is only recognised by the PEFC. In some of these countries, notably the USA, Canada and Sweden, the replacement of felled trees has reached a level of 2:1, or more, so the area of forest is actually increasing.

Tropical hardwoods such as iroko, sapele and wenge are a completely different matter. They are highly unlikely to be certified in any way and illegal logging is rife in some areas. Iroko in particular, is a problem, since it is very widely used for worktops. It is naturally quite water resistant and ideally suited to situations where it will be exposed to water. I've often recommended it's use in kitchens, where a timber top is required around a sink. Iroko, though is considered to be a vulnerable tropical species because of excessive exploitation in some areas and because it hasn't been successfully grown in plantations.

So, should we boycott all timber from tropical rainforests? Well, it depends who you ask. Some people, like Jamie Everett, of Norfolk Oak (mentioned in Part 1) say yes; because they want nothing to do with destroying the habitats of, for instance, gorillas and African forest elephants and they don't want to risk supporting often brutal organisations that are involved in the arms trade, as well as illegal logging. Others are quite persuasive that boycotting such timber would do more harm than good.

A large part of rainforest loss is due to clearance for agricultural use (crops such as oil palm and soybean) and industrial development, and felled trees are also used for fuel and for building materials. Refusing to buy tropical hardwoods would further reduce the intrinsic value of the trees and encourage more clearance. Foreign demand for certified timber, coupled with a willingness to pay a premium for such timber, would actually encourage sustainable management of the forests and better logging practices, which reduce damage to the forest. This would work even better if there was less of a market for illegally logged timber.

The EU is supposed to be bringing in legislation to ban timber derived from illegally harvested trees and introduce sanctions against states and firms caught using illegal timber. The UK currently has no such legislation and, according to Greenpeace we spend £712m a year on illegal timber, making us the world’s third largest importer. Be especially wary of imports from China since businesses there are well known to buy illegal timber from Asia, Africa, South America and, especially, Russia. An increased demand for certified timber, though, would have a big influence on an exporting country like China, since they are keen to provide whatever the market demands.

Kitchen worktops are, of course, only a very small part of the problem ... but if you feel very strongly about the issue, then I would suggest writing to your MP and asking him or her to support UK legislation for the banning of illegal timber. If you want to buy some timber worktops, in the meantime, then look for a supplier of FSC certificated tops. If the timber you want is a tropical hardwood, like teak, then don't just take their word for it being from sustainable sources - your invoice should confirm this and should carry an FSC “chain of custody” number. You're likely to have to pay more for this type of worktop, though. The cheaper a timber worktop is - the less likely it is to come from sustainable sources.

Personally I'd also be happy buying American oak, maple and walnut worktops, even without FSC certification. I'd prefer it to be PEFC/SFI certified ... but America isn't in danger of being de-forested; it's actually gaining forest. I know American imports have travelled a lot of miles, but transport by sea is relatively low energy.

And what if you really want iroko worktops?

Well, I'd say it was down to your individual choice. I certainly wouldn't try to stop anyone having iroko. You're highly unlikely to find any FSC certified iroko around (as yet) but you can, at the very least, ask about it's origin. Some importers buy from managed forests in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where the governments are establishing better forestry practices. Imports from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (where iroko is now scarce) are considered, by some, to have a higher chance of being produced illegally.

There's also the question of whether to go for blocked tops, or planked ones. I don't see anything wrong with going for beautiful planked timber worktops - if you're using FSC certified or American timber. If you're looking for wenge or iroko, though, go for blocked ones. These are made from wood offcuts, produced when larger furniture items are made; so they gain quite a few extra green credentials.

The worktops below are an unusual American Ash worktop - from Peter Quinain Hardwoods in Devon - and some blocked iroko (from legal sources) by Barncrest