Our Green Sustainability Strategy

Our mission at The Solid Wood Flooring Company is simple. We want to make our planet more sustainable.

Since our humble beginnings, we’ve always prided ourselves on staying ahead of our competitors by embracing technological advances and adopting environmentally friendly principles.

Developing and designing sustainable spaces is critical. And wood is the only renewable choice of building material for flooring. Plastics are derived from fossil fuels, and concrete can damage our environment through the energy it takes to produce.

Wood is a renewable resource that naturally grows in abundance. And it’s the way forward. But it’s not just our bespoke wood flooring we offer for sustainability. Here’s just some of the work we’re doing as part of our green sustainability strategy.

We partner with Maersk Eco Delivery

Our forward-thinking approach means we’re always looking for ways to achieve our mission. Through this, we realised container shipping is an energy-intensive activity, as most shipping containers use unsustainable Heavy Fuel Oils (HFOs).

It’s important to explore low-carbon energy options which can integrate easily into our existing supply chains, which is why we’re proud to partner with global logistics specialists Maersk ECO Delivery.

Using only sustainable second-generation biodiesel, they offer a promising decarbonisation solution that saves an average of 2 tons of carbon emissions per container shipped.

This perfectly aligns with our commitment to sustain our planet whilst creating stunning interior spaces.

Why? Because we choose to use wood: the only renewable choice for flooring as its production uses less energy than any other material. By improving our efficiencies for our logistics, we’re choosing to further contribute to this commitment.

We collaborate with Gone West

It takes 5 times more energy to produce 1 tonne of cement, 24 times more energy for 1 tonne of steel, and 126 times for 1 tonne of aluminium. However, the production of wood flooring uses less energy in its processing methods than any other construction material.

Young trees absorb more carbon dioxide than mature ones. So, it makes sense to harvest older trees and plant new ones. However, with only 11.76% of our land being used as forests, it’s crucial to our country’s environmental future that we act now.

That’s why we’re proud to be a part of the Gone West global mission. Our plan is to use approximately 1,000 oak trees a year, and as part of our partnership we’ve committed to planting 4,000 oak trees every year. So, for every tree we cut down, we’ll plant three new ones.

And why is it important? Because climate change is real. We’ve underestimated our impact on the planet. In the past two centuries, we’ve cut down 50% of the world’s forest. It’s time to act.

We’re certified by the FSC and PEFC

We unreservedly condemn illegal logging and will not manufacture some exotic species as we believe a lot come from questionable sources.

That’s why we only source from well-managed, legal sustainable forests. It’s also why we manufacture our own wood flooring because we can control the sources of our raw materials unlike our competitors who buy from traders.

To ensure our materials come from certified, sustainable, and well-managed forests, we work closely with the Forest Stewardship Commission (FSC®️) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™️).

Our FSC chain of custody certification means our materials have been identified and separated from ineligible and unacceptable ones as it makes its way along the supply chain from the forest to your project.

This means all of our flooring can be traced back to the forest where it was harvested, ensuring its responsibly managed.

We only harvest older trees

Whenever we use a tree, we ensure nothing goes to waste. That’s why we only harvest older trees that consume less carbon and produce less oxygen. We work with forestry experts to select the trees and ensure no habitats are damaged or destroyed.

To utilise every inch of a tree, we primarily produce engineered floorboards. This means we consume around one fifth of the amount of material compared to producing solid boards. In turn, we can provide your project with additional benefits such as underfloor heating systems and flexible sizing without compromising sustainability.