Howden Joinery Ltd. is now certified for FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody. Approximately 80% of the raw material used in manufacturing is wood fibre, wherever possible the wood is always sourced in a way that's good for the business and for the environment. The preferred option is to buy wood which is certified by either the UK Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) schemes.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international network designed to promote responsible management of the world's forests. It was established in the mid 1990s. Worldwide, more than 50 million hectares of forest in 60 countries are certified according to FSC standards and over 5000 companies have FSC Chain of Custody certification The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is a framework for the recognition of forest certification schemes meeting internationally recognised requirements for sustainable forest management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has become the largest certification umbrella organisation covering national schemes from around the world.
What is Forestry Certification?

Forestry certification is a voluntary, market mechanism designed to improve management of the world's forests.

The principles that underlay forest certification include:

• long-term forest management e.g. 20 year plans
• economic efficiency e.g. making the best use of forest resources
• environmental protection e.g. habitat and wildlife protection
• workers rights e.g. providing staff with training, a decent wage, protective equipment and the right to join a trade union
• respect for people living in or near the forest

The idea behind it is that, through the use of recognisable labels, people will be able to select products that come from responsibly managed forests in preference to those from badly managed forests.

What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody (COC) certification provides independent evidence that forest products like timber, joinery products and sheet materials originate from responsibly managed forests. When a product has COC certification it means that there is an unbroken and documented chain of ownership (custody) all the way from the forest, via the mill, the importer, the manufacturer and supplier(s) to the end user.

Identifying FSC certified products on the Howdens Joinery website
Howdens supply a number of kitchen products which are certified as FSC and a number of joinery, doors and flooring products that are FSC or PEFC certified. Products that are certified as FSC will display the FSC logo on the page and specific product codes will be indicated with a bold F. PEFC certified products can be identified by the PEFC logo and product codes will be indicated by a bold green P.

Howden’s operate from many UK wide locations and they have a strong presence in the North West selling to trade. They have four sites, for those seeking Manchester kitchens, 4 sites for Liverpool kitchens, 4 more for kitchens Stockport and yet another 4 for kitchens Chester and Ellesmere Port.

Howdens have over 500 depots throughout Britain supplying kitchens and joinery products from stock. Each of our depots has experienced designers who will plan your kitchen using our range of over 35 styles and be on hand throughout to help you and your builder.

Contact your local depot for more information and to request a brochure. Alternatively, you can request a brochure using the online Request a Brochure service or visit the Howdens website.