Sustainability
Responsible thinkers.
Respectful makers.
Oak trees demand respect. Each one grows for
centuries, witnessing and withstanding all that
occurs around them.
We cherish this longevity and treat the wood we source and the
planet it grows on with equal deference. Crafting our oak framed
buildings to outlast their makers is our way of honouring nature
and this most majestic of building materials.
Carefully sourced
Although native to the UK, few home-grown oak trees are suitable for post-and-beam timber-frame construction. Most of our oak is from Normandy, France, from managed forests with a history of growing tall, straight trees of exceptional quality specifically for building.
Our sustainability
credentials
Our commitment to sustainability doesn’t stop at the materials we use. Here’s what we’re doing across the business.
Green energy
Take a look at our workshop, and you might spot the 77-panel solar array on the roof, backed by battery storage. It generates enough clean energy to supply all our electricity – 29,244kWh a year, saving 5,940kg of carbon. And because it produces more than we need, we sell our surplus electricity back to the grid.
Reducing waste
Timber is a precious natural resource, and we treat it as such. We proactively reduce waste through thoughtful cutting and traditional techniques that value prudent material use. Wherever possible, we use the remaining offcuts as firewood.
Traditional methods
Our workshops use traditional methods – not high-tech, energy-hungry CNC machines. Our ethos focuses on sustainable practices, creating human-made frames that will last for hundreds of years.
Future sustainability goals
We aim to further improve our energy efficiency and become a zero-emission operation. To do this, we:
- Plan to change all road vehicles to hybrid by 2029.
- Aim to upgrade rechargeable electric-powered forklifts by 2029.
Supporting employee wellbeing
We believe that sustainability goes beyond environmental impact – our employees are critical to our organisation’s ongoing success and play an essential role in supporting our ecological goals.
As well as paying a fair wage, creating a positive working environment and providing a range of employee benefits, we support employee wellbeing with:
Our own vegetable garden
It’s a peaceful place away from the noise of the workshop and the glare of the screens, which supports physical and mental well-being. We grow a variety of fruit and veg – helping reduce food miles and plastic packaging. It’s not just employees who get involved – family members can often be found working away on our little veg plot.
Zero waste
Skilled carpenters cut each plank to ensure minimal waste. Offcuts are used to make braces and pegs, sawdust can be used as animal bedding, and the rest is used as firewood.
A proper lunch hour
You won’t find anyone eating lunch at their desk or workbench here. Instead, we get together and eat as a team. It’s better for our physical and mental health and lets us connect socially.
Space to reflect
We’re surrounded by nature and love to make the most of the local woodland on our breaks; it’s just outside our yard and easy to access.
Sustainable through & through
Planting trees for the future – We work with The Future Forest Company to help restore nature across the UK.
We do this by gifting our clients a tree for every new project we secure, and matching it to double the impact.
Doing this means we and our clients are contributing to a growing effort to create healthier landscapes for future generations. Together, we are helping restore native woodlands, peatlands, wetlands and biodiversity-rich habitats across 12 sites throughout the UK.
We’re excited to see these forests grow over time – visit our Future Forest Company dashboard to see where your gifted tree has been planted and track our collective environmental impact.
By choosing Green Oak Carpentry, you are helping to make a difference for forests and forest communities.
Naturally sustainable
With an abundance of building materials, it can be easy to forget that some of the most sustainable and low-impact choices have existed for millennia, and can fully or partially replace more carbon-intensive options in many projects.
The oak and other timbers we use are naturally sustainable building materials:
Carbon neutral
Trees absorb carbon as they grow, and when harvested, that carbon remains within the wood, around a tonne of carbon per cubic metre*.
Zero waste
Skilled carpenters cut each plank to ensure minimal waste. Offcuts are used to make braces and pegs, sawdust can be used as animal bedding, and the rest is used as firewood.
Low impact
Quality oak hardwood requires minimal finishing, reducing the need for toxic chemicals. The natural tannins act as a preservative, ensuring its longevity.
Minimal travel
We transport our oak from Normandy to our Hampshire workshops via sea and road – a short, low-impact distance compared to many other building materials.
Durable
Unlike buildings made with many other materials, high-quality oak framed buildings have the potential to stand for hundreds of years without the need for replacement.
Creates demand
Using wood gives forests a value, and provides an incentive to care for them. Harvested trees are replanted, ensuring these forests stand for generations to come.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know more about our commitment to operating sustainably and ethically, or would like us to support your sustainability goals with a responsibly made timber frame, we’d love to talk.
