Accoya® wood, the world’s leading high technology wood from Accsys Technologies PLC, has been billed as a low carbon alternative compared to other conventional construction materials. This follows a recent assessment by Camco, a leading environmental consultancy.
With climate change an increasing threat to our environment, low carbon yet high performance materials based on renewable resources are high on the agenda. These would replace non-renewable, carbon intensive, materials such as metals, plastics and concrete.
Accoya® wood combines the high performance of non-renewable materials with the virtues of fast growing, sustainable wood. The carbon footprint assessment conducted by Camco reveals that Accoya® wood has a very low carbon footprint compared with other building materials such as aluminium, steel, PVC and unsustainably sourced tropical timber.
In a carbon footprint assessment, the greenhouse gas emissions, causing global warming, can be measured over the life cycle of a product or material.
Camco assessed the carbon footprint of Accoya® wood based on a cradle to gate scenario, i.e. greenhouse gas emissions released between harvesting the sustainably sourced wood through to the Accoya® wood leaving the factory gate. Translation of the cradle to gate results of the study to applications (cradle to grave), such as window frames and bridges, reveals that Accoya® wood scores significantly better in terms of greenhouse gas emissions than metals (steel, aluminium), plastics (PVC), unsustainably sourced timber and concrete, and is competitive with sustainably sourced (certified) tropical hardwood.
Luke Purse, the Camco Consultant who led the study, comments: “Both the construction and procurement sectors are becoming increasingly aware of the sustainability agenda and, crucially, so are their clients. Many are choosing sustainable products or materials. Our study demonstrates that Accoya® is certainly a ‘low carbon’ option compared to many construction materials.”
It should be noted that the annual yield of renewable materials is not included in the carbon footprint assessment. This provides an important additional environmental credential for Accoya® wood, since fast growing softwood species such as Radiata Pine are primarily used in its production.
Radiata Pine even outperforms giant bamboo – known to grow incredibly fast – in terms of annual yield. This means that there is an ample supply of timber from certified sources for the production of Accoya® wood to replace scarcely available certified tropical hardwood in demanding exterior applications.
The environmental performance of Accoya® wood will continuously be assessed and independently proven by pursuing only the most highly respected eco-labels such as Cradle to CradleSM certification, and the execution of a fully peer reviewed ISO 14040/44 compliant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, one of the world’s leading science institutes.
Paul Clegg, Chief Executive Officer of Accsys Technologies PLC comments: “There is currently a heavy focus on forests and wood products as they can act as a potential carbon sink to mitigate climate change and substitute carbon intensive non-renewable materials. Traditionally, carbon intensive non-renewable materials are chosen in building projects, but Accoya® wood has revolutionised the industry by providing the best of both worlds in presenting a high performing, yet sustainable wood with a low carbon footprint.”
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For further information, to arrange an interview or high-resolution images please contact Sarah Allen / Sally Maier at Fuel PR on 020 7498 8211 or sarah@fuelrefuel.com / sally@fuelrefuel.com
Notes to Editors:
Accsys Technologies PLC (www.accsysplc.com) is an environmental science and technology
company whose primary focus is on the production of Accoya® wood and technology licensing via its
100% owned subsidiary, Titan Wood Limited (www.titanwood.com), which has manufacturing
operations in Arnhem, the Netherlands, a European office in London and an Americas office in Dallas,
Texas. Accsys Technologies PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market, and on Euronext Amsterdam by NYSE Euronext, under the symbols 'AXS'. Accsys' operations comprise three principal business units: (i) the Accoya® wood production facility located in Arnhem, The Netherlands; (ii) technology development, focused on a programme of continuous improvements to the process engineering and operating protocols for the acetylation of wood which are currently under development and the development of technology for the acetylation of wood fibre; and (iii) the licensing of technology for the production of Accoya® wood and Tricoya® wood elements across the globe.
Wood Acetylation is a process which increases the amount of 'acetyl' molecules in wood, thereby changing its physical properties. The process protects wood from rot by making it "inedible" to most micro-organisms and insects, without - unlike conventional treatments - making it toxic. It also greatly reduces the wood's tendency to swell and shrink, making it less prone to cracking and ensuring that, when painted, it requires dramatically reduced maintenance.
Accoya® wood (www.accoya.info) is produced using a patented process that effectively converts sustainably grown softwoods and non-durable hardwoods into what is best described as a "high technology wood". Distinguished by its durability, dimensional stability and, perhaps most importantly of all, its reliability (in terms of consistency of both supply and quality), Accoya® wood is particularly suited to exterior applications where performance and appearance are valued. Unlike most tropical and European hardwoods, its colour does not degrade when exposed to ultraviolet light. Moreover, the Accoya® wood production process does not compromise the wood's strength or machinability. The combination of UV resistance, dimensional stability, durability and retained strength means that Accoya® wood offers a wealth of new opportunities to architects, designers and specifiers. For marine uses where weight is also important, Accoya® wood for the first time provides boat builders with a wood that is strong, lightweight, durable and which retains its natural beauty for far longer.
Camco (www.camcoglobal.com) Camco is a leading international climate change and sustainable development company that has been providing strategic, technical and financial services in this field for more than 20 years. They work closely with major companies worldwide, establishing partnerships to turn clients’ climate change liabilities into economic, social and environmental assets.
As one component of their diverse service offerings, Camco have undertaken over 1,000 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessments in line with current best practice in GHG quantification and reporting. These assessments cover all six Kyoto greenhouse gases and encompass Scopes 1, 2 & 3 emissions sources in line with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and World Resources Institute’s (WBCSD/WRI) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocol best practice guidelines.
Carbon footprint
A product carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by the product. Measuring the carbon footprint of products across their full life cycle is a way for companies to collect the information they need to reduce GHG emissions, identify cost savings opportunities, incorporate emissions impact into decision making on suppliers, materials, product design, manufacturing processes, etc, demonstrate environmental/corporate responsibility, and meet customer demands for information on product carbon footprints.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most extensive environmental impact assessment method available. Besides greenhouse gas emissions (included in the carbon footprint methodology), LCA includes other environmental impact factors such as toxicity, acidification, land use, depletion, amongst others.
ACCOYA®, TRICOYA® and the Trimarque Device are registered trademarks owned by Titan Wood Limited – part of Accsys Technologies Plc and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.
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