New standards for sustainability set

Dura Composites, a leading manufacturer of wood composite products, will announce at Ecobuild that it has secured Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainability accreditation and established the sustainability credentials of its market-leading wood plastic composite (WPC) products such as Dura Deck.

In the first of two initiatives Dura Composites has secured FSC chain of custody certification, guaranteeing the use of FSC-certified forests in the manufacture of its WPC products Dura Deck and Dura Cladding when specified by the customer.

Secondly, Dura Composites has had independent verification of the sustainability of Dura Deck, recording 87% recycled content and a carbon footprint lower than comparable softwood and hardwood decking.

The report, produced by CERAM UK, showed that against wooden decking Dura Deck has a lower overall lifetime cost compared to both hardwood and softwood decking, with a low carbon footprint of 1.3 kgCO2/kg before installation.

Stuart Burns, Managing Director of Dura Composites said: “This recognition of our product credentials confirms Dura Composites as a world leader in wood plastic composite design, manufacture and now sustainability. Many people would wrongly think that a wood plastic composite product can’t be as ‘green’ as a timber product. But it’s clear our Dura Deck product can meet the highest sustainability specifications and outperform timber in service.”

Dura Composites expects its FSC-certified products will attract new customers for whom proven sustainability is essential.