Hardwood

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WHAT WE SAY:

Wood is an intrinsic part of human history. Hardwoods like oak, mahogany, maple, beech and teak provided us with early tools, shelters, buildings, transport and sources of heat.

It was the material of choice for thousands of years, but the popularisation of plastic in the 1950s saw the synthetic replace the natural for countless applications. Suddenly, everything from furniture to garden tools were being manufactured from plastic, to the detriment of the environment. A return to hardwood now means a return to renewables, and while there are undoubtedly conservation concerns to keep in mind, in this case, a step backwards is progress.

Oak Bottle / Source: Oak Bottle

WHAT IS HARDWOOD?

As a material, wood is generally separated into hardwoods and softwoods, and the classification isn’t as simple as it may seem. Balsa, which you can score with your fingernail, is a hardwood.
Softwoods come from gymnosperm – coniferous, evergreen trees. Hardwoods come from angiosperm, which are deciduous. Slower growing, hardwood trees are denser and have a more complex structure, offering greater strength and durability. As a result, hardwood is generally more expensive than softwood.
Hardwoods include, but are not limited to, ash, aspen, balsa, birch, cherry, chestnut, ebony, elm, eucalyptus, hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, poplar, sandalwood, teak, walnut and willow.
Such trees grow either in forests or on plantations and are harvested when mature. The lifecycle is dependent on species. The Empress Splendor reaches maturity in about 10 years, while oak trees can take several decades before they are fully grown.
Hardwood is found in almost every industry. It can be used as solid wood, lumber or timber, or engineered as plywood, particle boards, pulps, composites and more.
The material has an array of properties, depending on the source of the hardwood. It can be tough, durable, flexible, easy to polish, heavyweight and, in its natural state, compostable.
Within products, hardwoods have multiple further properties. They can be naturally insulating, fire resistant and even food safe, stopping the multiplication of bacteria.
Its applications are almost endless. Hardwood is used for furniture, flooring, boat building, construction, packaging, doors and windows, tissue papers, kitchenware, display cases and even knitting needles.
Hardwood is harvested using a number of different methods, including single-tree selection, group selection and clear-cutting (removing all plants in one area).
After harvesting, wood is dried or cured and sent to mills. From there it is shipped off for manufacturing into thousands of different products. Finishes on wood products include painting, staining, sealing, varnishing and polishing.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Anti-Microbial
Compostable
Fire-Resistant
Flexible
Food Grade
Regenerative
Strong
Temperature-Resistant

INDUSTRY:

Beauty
Food & Beverage
Packaging
Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Mass Market

Dive Deeper

The earliest evidence of people working with wood is from a 1.5 million year old site in Tanzania, back when we were still Homo erectus. Remnants of the hardwood acacia were found clinging to stone hand axes.
There are approximately 73,300 species of trees, where most wood comes from.
China and the UK are the largest net importers of forest products, while China and Canada hold the largest market shares in terms of exports.
Trees are felled either by hand using a chainsaw or by machine using a feller buncher. Branches are removed in a process called limbing, and then the logs are transported to a saw mill via truck or, if the logging site is near a river, via log barge.
At the saw mill, logs are treated and processed in a number of different ways. They are generally debarked and may be edged to create four-sided lumber. Certain logs may become utility poles, some will become timber for construction and DIY, and the ‘skinnier’ tops of the trees may be used for pulp.
There are a number of environmental concerns associated with logging including the use of heavy, fossil fuel-reliant machinery and the emissions from transport. The biggest impact and primary concern is deforestation as forests are vital for carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
According to the WWF, some estimates suggest that logging in violation of national laws accounts for 8-10% of global production and trade. Since 1990, the world has lost a billion acres of forest. Western Europe was once 80% covered by forests, and that figure is now 34%, while 17% of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed in the last 50 years.
Not all deforestation is due to forestry. In Europe, 95% of regional tree cover loss between 2001 and 2015 was indeed due to forestry, but in North America, 48% was due to wildfires, while Latin America and Southeast Asia lost most of theirs to make way for activities like agriculture, mining, and oil and gas production at rates of 64% and 61%, respectively.
In order to ensure responsible forestry and logging, many companies favour sourcing hardwood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forests, which are subject to environmental, economic and social standards. Currently, more than 200 million hectares of forest are certified to FSC standards, and 50,000 companies hold an FSC chain of custody certification. The CIS, North America and Europe have the highest percentages of the total certified area, at 32%, 28% and 24%, respectively. Latin America has 7%, and Africa and Asia-Pacific both have 4%.
In addition, over 280 million hectares of forest area are managed in compliance with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sustainability benchmarks. They look at factors like biodiversity, climate-positive practices, protection, human rights and indigenous consent.
While plastic is a non-renewable, fossil fuel-based product which can exist in the environment for hundreds of years, hardwood is a renewable, organic material which will naturally degrade over time, provided it’s untreated and uncoated.
Hardwood remains popular in construction, however, other industries like beauty are beginning to embrace its possibilities too. Australian skincare brand Avirida, for instance, uses salvaged logs, invasive tree species, and local plantations for its packaging. The brand has a solar-powered kiln to dry the timber and mills it in-house.
Wooden barrels were traditionally used for storage and shipping of water, vinegar, salted meats and fish, and fruits, and they are still used today to age and ship whisky, rum, wine, beer and other beverages.
Japanese company Kayu Package makes disposable food containers from wood that it claims come from tree sources on small farms across Indonesia. The takeout-style Bento boxes are compostable after use.
Many food and beverage brands also turn to wood for luxury packaging and experiences. Tabasco released a limited edition wooden box for its 150th anniversary celebration, winning silver in the Creativity International Awards, while Oak Bottle is designed to speed up the maturation of wine, cocktails, beer and spirits, calling upon traditional oak barrels for inspiration.

KEY FACTS:

200mn

hectares of forest are certified to FSC standards

8-10%

Logging in violation of national laws accounts for 8-10% of global production and trade

73,300

There are approximately 73,300 species of trees, from which most wood comes from

Key Questions to Ask:

What is the expected lifespan of your product?

It can take decades for hardwood trees to grow, so a single-use product might not be the most appropriate application for such a time-intensive material.

What other materials could you use instead of wood?

The use of hardwood should be approached responsibly, and you should always be sure that it is right for your use case. Ask if another material could fit the bill with less impact. For instance, if you want wood flooring to replace wood effect vinyl flooring, could you explore HempWood or Bamboo?

Are your sources certified?

FSC and PEFC certifications aren’t a silver bullet but are certainly preferred due to the extra scrutiny. Certified sources or timber products should always be prioritised.

What is your price point?

Certain species of hardwood – oak for instance – are expensive, while others such as poplar are inexpensive by comparison. Allow your product price point to guide your decision.

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