This guidance is for businesses that manufacture, treat or process wood or timber products. This includes:
- treating timber with preservatives such as fencing, decking, landscaping products or construction timbers
- manufacturing timber composites including fibreboard, plywood, veneers and laminates
- saw-milling to produce wood chip, wooden pallets, fencing stakes or sawn timber
- wood-working to produce furniture, garden timber products or structural timbers used in construction
- applying a coating or finish to wooden surfaces including doors, windows, and furniture
- burning processed waste wood as a fuel.
Environmental impacts of wood and timber products
Wood and timber businesses can have a number of impacts on the environment. Examples include:
- air emissions from boilers, sawdust from planing and sawing, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from gluing and coating activities
- land contamination from oils, preservatives or chemicals used to treat timber
- noise pollution from poorly maintained sawing or milling equipment
- waste disposal, such as tree clippings and trimmings, waste wood off-cuts or shavings, or untreated waste wood used for composting
- water discharges from cooling equipment, wash down water that contains varnishes, coatings or adhesives, or run-off from storage areas.
How can NetRegs help you?
Our guidance could help you to:
- avoid prosecution and receive fewer visits from environmental regulators
- increase efficiency and productivity
- reduce your operating costs
- be more likely to obtain business from government bodies and large businesses that require their business partners to manage their environmental impacts effectively
- improve your reputation amongst staff, customers and the public
- increase the chance of securing funding to expand your business by demonstrating that your environmental impacts are well managed.
