I thought it would be useful in this, the first newsletter of the year, to outline our plans for 2008, as the industry’s generic wood promotional campaign.
2007 was a year of change. For the first time, the campaign’s core generic wood promotion was complemented by project-based work designed to encourage participation from partners and members and to produce information which is more relevant to wood for good members. This will continue in 2008.
There are three core activities for 2008: Wood in Sustainable Development, Wood for Gold and Education.
1. Wood in Sustainable Development
This involves the production and distribution of a series of communications on wood’s role in sustainable construction and how using wood can help mitigate climate change.
The information will be based on independent sources, with additional research where necessary (for example the campaign will produce fresh Life Cycle Assessment data and new research on Thermal Mass). It will be made available for members to use so that the industry can present an informed and united front. The information will be provided in a number of formats, including PowerPoint presentations with speaker’s notes, Briefing Notes and a short film.
Topics will include Thermal Mass, LCA, Whole Life Costing, and Zero Carbon housing.
This highly topical and strategic information will be presented to the market place through a communications strategy which includes a key note conference, the website, public relations, supplements and advertising.
The promotion of the Carbon Calculator, mainly through PR, will continue, both by wood for good and by ECCM.
2. Wood for Gold
This project now becomes part of the core programme, continuing the industry-wide collaboration to ensure that as much wood as possible is used at the 2012 Olympics and beyond into the legacy phase of the Games.
Following the success of the ‘Wide Span Wood Sports Structures’ brochure, wood for good and TRADA are again collaborating to produce a brochure on demountable wood buildings. There will be almost 100,000 square metres of temporary structures required for the Olympics and wood is ideally placed to fulfil a substantial part of this need.
3. Education
CPD seminars. These popular seminars, delivered in conjunction with TRADA, will continue through 2008 with updated courses and a target of engaging 2,000 architects during the year – free, at their own practice.
Online Learning. Another invaluable education service available free to architects, contractors and members of wood for good, the TTF and the BWF. Two new courses have recently been added on OSB (Oriented Strand Board) and MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), both sponsored by Coillte Panel Products, and a targeted marketing campaign will encourage new registrations by focusing on a different topic each month. For more information about Online Learning please contact eve.dennehy@woodforgood.com
Simplifying timber specification. This project now becomes part of the core programme, in recognition of its importance to the increased use of timber in construction, and will see the production of either a brochure with working drawings of timber buildings, or a comprehensive timber design guide.
Projects
1. Timber Frame
Partners: wood for good, the UKTFA and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
We will complete the three projects begun in 2007 (Fire Safety, Zero Carbon Housing, and an Online Learning Timber Frame module and film), and ensure that the results are communicated to members of the UKTFA and their customers.
2. LCA and the Wood Window Alliance
Partners: wood for good, the Wood Window Alliance, the BWF and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
This project, involving over 40 companies in the industry, aims to increase the market for wood windows by providing proof that the windows meet independently accredited performance and sustainability standards, backed by warranties. In 2008 the programme will include advertising in trade titles, a full PR campaign in the trade and consumer media, direct mail to named trade contacts, the publication of a complete wood window specification manual, seminars, research and the continued development of the website.
3. Wood Outdoors
Partners: wood for good and the Timber Decking Association
This project will promote exterior cladding throughout the merchant chains and to specifiers, helping to ensure best practice. Quality cladding that meets the standards set out in a new Code of Practice will receive industry recognition with a quality brand similar to the ‘DeckMark’. An approved supplier scheme will be launched, along with a free specification helpdesk for architects and designers. wood for good and TDA websites will be updated to support the projects, and consumers will be reached through publications and PR.
4. Support for Distributors
Partners: wood for good, TRADA and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
The project, begun in 2007, to communicate simple, easy-to-understand information about how to use wood correctly to the staff and customers of builders’ merchants, timber merchants and DIY stores, will continue through 2008.
10 factsheets, covering the major timber products, will be produced for builders’ and timber merchants as PDF downloads to be branded by the store group. We will also help them promote and distribute the factsheets to their customers. A new Online Learning module will also be developed, explaining how timber should be stored, protected and used on site. Files will be available to wood for good members to overprint with their company names and logos.
We will also be producing retail guides to the timber ranges of Focus DIY and Homebase, as well as inspirational DIY material and information on wood’s sustainability.
5. Wood in Packaging
Partners: wood for good, Timcon and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation.
This cooperative project with Timcon, now in its fourth year, will continue throughout 2008, using existing advertisements.
A new film and publication on the ‘A-Z of wood pallets and packaging’ will be produced, highlighting important issues in the wood packaging sector for Members of Parliament, central and local government and the top 100 UK companies.
6. Glulam
Partners: wood for good and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation. Other countries, like Austria and Germany have been invited to join the project.
The project will commission work from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to assess Glulam’s Environmental Profile. Results will be made available to manufacturers and incorporated into a Glulam publication.
Seminars and a new Online Learning module will be produced with special reference to architectural and engineering practices involved with the 2012 Olympics.