By: Petra Postolache

Paying it forward

For Global Timber, paying it forward means going beyond compliance with the law and assume a more active role in society. The future of our business is acting sustainably and the companies that integrate sustainability into their strategies are better equipped to face the challenges of tomorrow.

The wood industry has the advantage of one the most sustainable natural materials – wood. As seen in our company’s brand stamp ‘wood for good’, we consider the long-term preservation of forests as part of our business strategy. By trading responsibility sourced wood and supporting wood as a replacement for non-recyclable building materials in constructions, we contribute to the change of the entire sector.

As company, we have embraced sustainability as an awareness point. The initiatives described below has been implemented in our company so far and we will continue towards a sustainable future for our company, employees, and our customers.

Internal efforts

We have replaced all five of our old classical diesel forklift trucks with electrical ones. The consumption decreased and the air became much cleaner in the working environment. We reuse pallets whenever possible and if we are not able to reuse packaging, we use sustainable wrapping made from recycled plastic.

Recently, we have been through a digitalization process of the warehouse that has meant an important reduction of paper usage. We estimate that the new IT system has saved about 300 packages of printer paper yearly.

Right from the beginning, the office was designed as an intelligent passive building with minimal consumption and environmentally friendly materials. It starts with the orientation of the house to make the best use of sun and shade. Then having two companies sharing the canteen, meeting rooms etc. is getting more and more appreciation in the sharing economies of today.

Down to a more practical level, all the lights in the building are high efficiency LED lights with an integrated intelligent system that automatically regulates it accordingly with the light coming from outside. We have installed an environmental station in our warehouse in order to sort all general waste from daily operations and employees’ consumption.

The office has also been equipped with a charging station for electric cars, to benefit the employees and visitors that own such cars. Workplace charging is very appreciated because cars are parked here for a long time. It makes it convenient for more staff to adopt electric cars.

External effort

In relation to a more sustainable choice, our sales team are offering our customers certified products and alternatives (if available) and in some cases, some lesser-known species of wood. This way, not one specie is overly harvested as other alternatives can fulfill the many of the same wishes.

Even though our practical efforts are small initiatives, they represent a step in the right direction and collectively have a larger impact. We strive to be a company that pays respect to our natural resources and contributes towards a healthier planet.