What is responsibly sourced timber?
Responsibly sourced timber is procured by Network Rail from sustainably-managed and legal sources. This assures stakeholders that non-sustainable activities, such as illegal logging, are not involved in the supply chain, whilst supporting the conservation of forests and respecting the interests of local communities.
Why is responsibly sourced timber important to Network Rail?
Network Rail is committed to using responsibly sourced timber across the rail network, from sleepers to maintain the rail network to products for infrastructure projects. By adopting responsibly sourced timber Network Rail is able to embed sustainable development throughout the supply chain.
The risks to Network Rail of not procuring responsibly sourced timber are significant, not only to our reputation, but also to:
- Associated species decline;
- Negative social impacts on indigenous people; and,
- Global deforestation;
- Supporting unsustainable forest exploitation.
How does Network Rail embed Responsible Timber into its work?
Network Rail has committed to procure 100% responsibly sourced timber, in accordance with the WWF guidelines. To achieve this target Network Rail works with its supply chain to only utilise timber products that are certified to either:
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or
- Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
FSC certification is required for timber products sourced from vulnerable regions such as Africa and South America whilst PEFC can also be used for timber from lower risk areas such as Europe and North America. Network Rail applies due diligence to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal and unwanted forest products entering into the UK market from our supply chain.
