Our main feed stock for Accoya production is fast-growing and high-yield pine from New Zealand. Its quick growth cycle helps us meet the rising demand for building materials without compromising on sustainability.

New Zealand’s warm, wet climate means trees grow fast, drawing down carbon from the atmosphere as they do. And because the softwood we use is more permeable than hardwood, it allows acetic anhydride to penetrate, making the timber particularly well-suited to the acetylation process.

Sourcing from New Zealand does increase the distance travelled by our timber, but the extended service life of our products means the overall impact of transport on lifetime costs is relatively small.

The progressive state of the forestry industry in New Zealand also offers a good supply of the pruned ‘clear wood’ which our customers particularly value due to the lack of knots and imperfections in the wood.

Strict industry standards also mean environmental harm, corruption and non-compliance with responsible forest management practices are extremely rare. Accoya wood made from pine shipped to our plant in the Netherlands, then shipped back again for use in Brisbane would still have lower CO2e impact per cubic meter per year of product life than Blackbutt or Spotted Gum sourced ‘locally’ in Canberra and driven to Brisbane by truck.

Taken together, sound forestry practices and the accelerated growth rate and carbon sequestration of the pine we source, makes New Zealand our first choice for timber. However, we sometimes use other sustainable wood sources to provide the best possible balance of quality, sustainability and availability.