Good For Wool But What About Wood?

The announcement this morning by Government directing public agencies to consider using wool fibres over synthetic options is a sensible decision, but it is disappointing wood fibres that possess the same innovative, sustainable and health benefits to wool have been overlooked.

“The wood products that we are talking about are not only renewable but have economic and environmental advantages when it comes to carbon storage and supporting our rural communities,” said Mark Ross, Chief Executive of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers. “With New Zealand’s sustainable forestry model, using locally grown wood products incentivises our circular bioeconomy, boosts New Zealand’s domestic wood processing industry, and supports our drive to meet our climate change targets”.

“Forecasting by Deloitte’s indicates that changing our market share to wood products by 25 percent would result in the removal of an additional 920,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the environment each year” said Ross, “Greater use of timber in domestic building and construction is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy and providing regional jobs in a highly productive sector”.

As an example, engineered wood products, such as cross laminated timber and glulam, offer multiple benefits to New Zealand, including reduced construction time, lower carbon footprint, and excellent thermal performance as compared to traditional building materials like concrete or steel. Mass timber has gained recognition for its versatility and globally is increasingly being adopted in residential and commercial construction projects.

Incentivising investment and growth within the wood processing and manufacturing industry is part of the Government’s plan that was announced by Forestry Minister, Hon Todd McClay at Mystery Creek Field Days in 2024. Hence, the chance to back this announcement by prioritising wood along with wool products in Government building and construction projects is a missed opportunity.

We now call on the Government to align the wool directive with wood, as to directing consideration by agencies of using wood fibre products in the construction and refurbishment of government buildings.

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