By: Vishal Mehta, Director of the Sustainable Materials Program at STEER World
Did you know that humans have been using wood as an easily accessible raw material since the Stone Age? Whether for tools, making huts, or igniting fire to cook, wood has helped civilizations progress.
Particularly in India, wood has held great significance in terms of its culture, and architecture. The evidence of its extensive past is visible in centuries-old doors, window frames, and pillars of famous temples. Wood continues to be used because of its easy availability, its strength, and its sheer beauty.
As per the Wood and Wood Products Update Report 2024, India’s annual import of logs, lumber, and wood products has gradually increased from $630 million to $2.3 billion over the past two decades.
The report further states that India’s rapidly growing construction, furniture, and handicrafts sectors are becoming increasingly dependent on imported forest products to boost production.
Challenges associated with increasing wood dependency
Wood is prone to moisture and termite/borer; its texture, colour and pattern are not uniform and don’t guarantee standardisation. Moreover, it needs post processing along with regular maintenance.
The unmonitored consumption of wood has become a major reason for several environmental concerns. India has lost a significant part of its natural forest cover leading to issues like soil erosion, flooding, and global warming.
The country continues to face a shortage in timber production. Its rising demand is being fulfilled through imports. This decline in domestic production is attributed to emphasis on forest conservation, following the implementation of the National Forest Policy of 1988, as per the India Timber Supply and Demand 2010-2030 Report.
India Timber Supply and Demand 2010–2030 by Promode Kant and Raman Nautiyal examines the timbermarket in India by analyzing past trends from 2010 to 2019 and projecting future developments up to 2030.
The study predicts that India’s demand for roundwood will surge by nearly 70% over the next decade, increasing from 57 million m³ in 2020 to 98 million m³ in 2030, primarily due to growth in the construction industry. It further highlights that increasing demand is being met by imports.
The bottom line is that demand is increasing and more forests are being cut, if not in India, then elsewhere in the world. According to the Global Forest Watch “From 2001 to 2023, there was a total of 488 Mha of tree cover loss globally, equivalent to a 12% decrease in tree cover since 2000 and 207 Gt of CO₂ emissions.”
The unregulated cutting of trees threatens wildlife, amplifies the extinction of species, and disrupts the entire ecosystems. Forests function as natural carbon sinks, capturing significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. However, when forests are cleared or burned, this stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO₂.
The loss of forests diminishes the Earth’s capacity to absorb CO₂, thereby increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases. Today, the climate crisis demands our immediate attention. There is an urgent need to reduce our dependence on wood as a prime material to be used in the furniture and construction market and switch to greener and sustainable alternatives.
Wood Alternatives
The alternatives to wood, like steel, aluminium, plastics and cement, do not offer the same look and feel and have other issues. Aluminium is too soft and is prone to developing fatigue cracks and is very carbon intensive.
Steel, on the other hand, is highly susceptible to corrosion, and can expand due to temperature changes. Cement is very heavy and prone to cracking. Moreover, using plastics means compromising not just the look and feel but also sustainability.
Over time other novel options like Wood Polymer Composite (WPC) have emerged. They are low maintenance. However, they come with their own set of issues. They use PVC which is hard to recycle at the end of its life. It also has low screw withdrawal strength along with temperature sensitivity.
Ethical Sourcing of Wood
One way to combat the drawbacks associated with using other materials and the environmental unsustainability of using wood is using ethically sourced wood.
Sustainable wood sourcing refers to the responsible harvesting, processing, and utilization of wood resources, prioritizing the preservation of forest health, biodiversity, and the welfare of local communities for the long term. It aims to minimize negative impacts on the environment and the communities that rely on the forests.
One way is to source wood that is certified by organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These certifications guarantee sustainable sourcing. Another way is to use reclaimed wood that is salvaged from old structures and combats waste and deforestation.
However, there are still challenges associated with ethical sourcing of wood.
Illegal logging is notorious for bypassing regulations. The supply chains are complex and often tracing the wood to its source can be highly challenging. Often regulations are weak and forest laws are not properly enforced due to corruption and limited resources. Moreover, obtaining certifications can be costly and time consuming.
Alternatives to wood
Some examples of bio based alternatives to wood that have gained attention in the recent years are bamboo and engineered wood. However, the issue with bio based materials is that it will required increased agricultural activity and land usage which in turn will have its own adverse environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emission and soil erosion.
To combat these challenges, it is necessary for the crafters in the construction and furniture industry to switch to sustainable alternatives. Recycled and recyclable alternatives which provide the necessary properties of strength, look and avoid any issues when facing moisture or borer/termite can help promote a circular economy model that maximises usage and minimizes wastage.
This can be made possible through creation of innovative materials that not only utilize waste as a raw materials for their creation
but serve as raw materials themselves at the end of their life cycle and at the same time possess properties of wood.
Way forward
Both the consumers and the manufacturers need to regulate the consumption of natural wood and increase the usage of its substitutes. Builders, architects, designers and other stakeholders need to be made aware of sustainable materials whose usage can be instrumental in mitigating deforestation and its detrimental effects to move towards a circular economy. At all times, it is important to be aware of the carbon emissions during the life cycle and end of life disposal of these materials.
