For anybody running a manufacturing business in 2025, it is hard to ignore the growing need for sustainability in all aspects of your business. For woodworking companies it is well known that this should start with using FSC-certified timber and wood panel products, but how can the benefits of sustainable timber sourcing help other areas of your business reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
This article by Talbott’s Biomass Energy Systems will explore the environmental and financial benefits of sustainability in woodworking, from material sourcing and energy-efficient production to sustainable low carbon waste disposal.
Before you can manufacture sustainably, you first need to source materials sustainably. This might seem obvious to many but how can responsible businesses ensure that the materials they buy help the fight for carbon neutrality?
FSC certification
FSC certification for timber is a trusted and respected sign that the wood material was harvested from sustainably managed forestry, and transported in a sustainable method. It is internationally recognised as the primary indicator of environmentally responsible timber supply.
When your business uses FSC timber and FSC recycled wood products it is supporting environmentally friendly practices worldwide, but what you do next with this material and any waste residues are equally as important to the fight against climate change!
Modern factory machinery and the factory environment
Factory essentials such as CNC machines, edgebanders, saws, moulders and dust extraction equipment all require high electricity usage, while many factories are heated with costly gas heating.
With energy costs in the UK at record highs, all woodworking manufacturers can look at ways in which they can reduce energy usage, making their business more sustainable. These can include the installation of technology such as rooftop solar panels, electric vehicles, energy-saving control systems such as AirSmart by Air Plants Dust Extraction, or even a Talbott biomass heating system for heating and waste disposal.
After sourcing sustainable materials and manufacturing using energy-efficient factory machinery, what else should you do to reduce emissions?
Sustainable wood waste management
After the manufacturing is complete you will likely be left with waste materials. For woodworking and furniture producers, this often comes in the form of sawdust, wood shavings and solid offcuts. There are several outlets for this material, but many of them are costly to both profits and the environment.
According to UK Government statistics, the total commercial and industrial waste generated is over 40m tonnes each year, with almost 700,000 tonnes of wood waste from the UK commercial and industrial sector including manufacturing. (Source - DEFRA statistics on Gov.Uk).
In 2011, the UK sent 27% of all wood waste directly to landfill, creating a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions both from transport and also from landfill decomposition of wood waste which creates methane, a greenhouse gas. Thankfully the percentage of waste wood sent to landfill has reduced over the years as other methods for disposal have become popular for the manufacturing sector such as animal bedding, wood panel manufacturing, and biomass wood fuel for power and heating.
How can on-site biomass heating help the environment and save money?
One of the easiest ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to deal with the waste wood material on-site, saving all of the emissions and costs associated with transportation.
Many woodworking manufacturers have invested in equipment such as Talbott’s Biomass heaters to allow safe and efficient combustion of the waste materials onsite, saving time and money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
By combining sustainably sourced FSC timber with a clean and efficient Talbott system you can save money and save Co2e.
