As the leading retailer of home improvement and outdoor living products in Australia and New Zealand and a major supplier to project builders, commercial tradespeople and the housing industry, Bunnings has long understood that its commitment to responsible timber sourcing can have a huge impact on forests, communities, and climate.
One area in which Bunnings has led the shift towards responsible timber procurement is West Papuan Merbau; a highly valuable tropical timber that faces deforestation as a prime target for illegal logging and forest conversion.
Bunnings is a major buyer of the popular timber, used widely in Australia and New Zealand for decking, flooring, and outdoor furniture products. Bunnings encouraged their supplier, PT Wijaya Sentosa, to seek FSC certification and then supported them through the process with a long term commitment to purchase certified Merbau. In 2016 the company became the first large-scale Indonesian forestry operation to achieve FSC certification for Merbau timber, which was followed by the second concession in 2017 and a third currently under progress.
Now more than 270,000 ha of West Papuan forest is protected from deforestation and serves as a buffer zone against the encroachment of illegal logging in two other protected regions of the forest. Forests may provide clean drinking water and host sites of great significance for communities living nearby. In addition to ensuring safe, decent working conditions FSC certification ensures that the lives of local communities are respected through the protection of culturally important sites and waterways.
Clive Duncan, Bunnings’ Director of Marketing and Merchandising, explains that “Bunnings has been committed to responsible timber sourcing for well over a decade. We understand our responsibility to make sure that when we source timber, we do so in a way that looks after forests and the communities that rely on them for their lives and livelihoods.”
Today approximately one-third of Bunnings’ timber is FSC certified. This means Australian and New Zealand consumers can choose timber products that support healthy forests which, in turn, support local communities.
In the long term, Bunning's goal is to have all their timber and wood products come from responsibly managed, legal, forests. They continue to work closely with FSC Australia to promote the importance of purchasing responsibly sourced timber.