Industry research uncovers a difference of opinion when it comes to specifying timber panels

Priorities differ according to profession yet the environment has become an increasingly important factor, according to the survey by the JOSB Done campaign

Industry-wide campaign to promote the uses and benefits of Oriented Strand Board, JOSB Done, has discovered that attitudes are shifting towards the preferential use of environmentally sound materials that will tick all the right boxes for sustainability, strength and performance.

The JOSB Done survey into the specification and application of wood panels polled the opinions of over 350 builders, merchants, specifiers, architects and students, and the findings provided a clear indication that the environmental credentials of timber panels were climbing up the list of priorities for the building industry as a whole.

Furthermore, it is also apparent from the research that the market is becoming increasingly aware that some plywood imports may be uncertified and from unsustainable sources, manufactured with raw materials originating from threatened rainforests. This was first highlighted by Greenpeace in August 2008, within their report titled: ‘Setting a New Standard: Alternatives to unsustainable plywood in the UK construction industry', and it now seems that the message is getting through, as 52% of all those questioned in the JOSB Done research said they were aware of uncertified plywood imports.

The Greenpeace report also said that the FSC is the only internationally recognised forest certification system on the market that can give credible assurance that timber products come from responsibly managed forests, so it is even more encouraging that six out of ten people questioned by JOSB Done said that they look for the FSC certification when specifying timber, with 62% saying they also looked for the CE mark.

Three quarters of all those questioned said they would choose to use OSB over plywood, citing reasons such as strength, durability, consistent quality and a lower price point.

A Question of Opinion

When considering the survey responses according to profession, 90% of specifiers said that they would choose OSB over plywood, with 40% stating that environmental credentials were their number one consideration. Around 78% of both builders and merchants said they would make the same choice, with price being of most importance to a third of builders, closely followed by the environment at 28%, whilst 57% of merchants said that quality was their primary concern.

Alastair Kerr, Director General of the Wood Panel Industry Federation, and spokesperson for the JOSB Done campaign, comments on these findings:

"Despite having been available in the UK and Ireland for over 20 years, a general lack of awareness of OSB, its properties and the applications it can be used for has meant that the industry as a whole has sometimes been slow to pick up on the possibilities."

"That is why we started JOSB Done four years ago; we wanted to challenge misconceptions and truly set the record straight, and year on year, we have witnessed a rise in interest as well as the application of OSB, especially as people realise its viability within the current economic climate."

"The JOSB Done survey has helped us to gauge common opinion when it comes to choosing timber panels, and the results certainly provide a useful insight into the requirements and priorities of different professions. It is a step in the right direction that the building industry as a whole is embracing the environmental argument but it is clear that price will always be a factor in the purchasing process. However, as the British pound is weakening, more people are coming to realise that there are viable alternatives out there and OSB is the obvious choice for the construction industry for both economic and environmental reasons."

"The variety of ‘on the job' applications has been illustrated by the respondents to our survey - from roofing, flooring and cladding to shuttering, hoardings and boarding up windows - so there really is no reason why builders, merchants, specifiers and architects shouldn't choose to use OSB."

To find out more about the campaign, please visit the website - www.josbdone.com.

Press enquiries to: Kelly Edmonds Willoughby Public Relations 43 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 1TS Tel: 0121 456 3004 Fax: 0121 456 9300 kellye@willoughby-pr.co.uk