As the countdown to this summer's iconic sporting event continues, the entire London 2012 Olympic Park development has achieved dual project certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest (PEFC) schemes for its timber usage - the first dual Project Certification in the world. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has achieved a 'world first' for securing dual project certification on the Olympic Park site, with 100 percent of the wood products supplied certified as 'legal and sustainable'.

The London 2012 Olympic park covers 2.5 sq km and contains the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome and the Basketball Arena and is currently one of the most ambitious construction projects in the United Kingdom.

One of the undertakings that worked in favor of London's original bid to the Olympic Committee was the emphasis on sustainability. As such, all construction materials had to meet exacting criteria such as low carbon input and reusability.

The presentation of FSC and PEFC project certification by auditors Soil Association Woodmark is being hailed as a major achievement and a procurement model for other large-scale projects to follow. The scheme also saw a unique and important partnership role played by both PEFC and FSC to make sure that the levels of legal and sustainable timber procured by the ODA achieved the highest possible target.

Soil Association Woodmark said the project was a world first for certification of such a huge and complex site. FSC certified material made up 67 percent of the 12,500m³ timber products procured, while PEFC accounted for 33 percent.

"It is an outstanding outcome that really shows what can be achieved and it's a strong platform for the industry to build on," said Peter Bonfield, leader of construction products at the ODA.

Sustainability had been embedded into the ODA's construction project from the very beginning as one of its six priority themes. With the announcement that the Olympic Park is now officially FSC and PEFC certified, London 2012 has taken a giant leap towards achieving its ambition of being the 'most sustainable games ever'.

Alun Watkins who heads up PEFC in the UK commented: "PEFC is delighted to have worked together with FSC to help make dual certification of this highly prestigious project possible. This is the first dual certified project in the world and we are proud that the UK has provided an example for others to follow in the future. We congratulate the Olympic Delivery Authority on their decision to source only certified timber. This demonstrates a strong commitment to responsible timber procurement which will help to make London 2012 one of the most successful and greenest games ever."

More than two-thirds of all wood used in the Olympic Park's construction is FSC certified. Two excellent examples of how the ODA successfully used the FSC process include the development of the Olympics Village and Velodrome. Village developers used the certification process to ensure that they achieved the desired Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM assessments, providing evidence that the timber comes from legally compliant, responsibly managed forests. This represents a tremendous commitment by the ODA to ensuring that the wood that it uses comes from forests that are responsibly managed. One only has to gaze at the magnificently designed, wood-clad Velodrome to get a sense of the scale of the project.

The iconic Velodrome, host to the track cycling events and the first Olympic Park venue to be completed, was built with 5,000 square meters of PEFC certified western red cedar timber cladding and 56 kilometers of Siberian pine for the track surface sourced from certified legally-compliant, responsibly-managed forests. In total, more than two-thirds of all timber used in the construction of all Olympic venues have gained FSC certification.

Holly Knight, ODA Principal Sustainability Manager, said: "We started working with the FSC early in the design process to ensure we had the right systems in place to deliver homes and venues on the Olympic Park that are truly sustainable. On such a complicated site it took lots of dedicated people to make sure we received certification for 100 percent legal and sustainable timber. FSC's contribution forms a major part of this achievement."

FSC Director General Andre de Freitas sees natural synergies between the Olympics and FSC: "FSC certified forest operations are environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial. It's fitting that an event which is committed to excellence like the Olympics choose FSC, which sets a high bar for forest management towards a
legacy of stewardship."

The Games' East London site comprises of seven major venues across the 246-hectare Olympic Park and needed to be managed on a daily basis for the thousands of timber products entering the site. The ambitious approach was driven forward by the establishment of the Timber Supplier Panel that embedded strict policy and procurement procedures and implemented a delivery management system that was forthright in policing and educating stakeholders and their supply chains about sustainable timber and unbroken chain of custody.

The announcement by the ODA follows the annual NCAA March Madness Tournament in America, where sustainably sourced wood had just made another winning appearance. The Final Four court at New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome, crafted by hand and meticulously inspected for performance by Connor Sports Flooring, was made from FSC-certified maple. The 80-90 trees needed to build the court came from a Wisconsin forest owned by FSC members Menominee Tribal Enterprises.

Charles Thwaites, Executive Director of FSC UK added: "FSC UK is delighted that the Olympic Park has achieved FSC Project Certification for such extensive and complex site. A project of this scale proves that developers, given the sort of commitment seen here, can always find sufficient certified timber for their needs."

As event organizers pay increasing attention to environmental responsibility, FSC provides important assurance that wood products are sustainably sourced. ODA's extensive use of FSC-certified timber signals their commitment to this value in the construction of world-class venues ahead of the 2012 Summer Games.

Fact Box: Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

PEFC is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management and is the world's largest forest certification system and the certification system of choice for small forest owners. As an international non-profit, non-governmental organization, PEFC is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification.

- About 238 million hectares of forest area (or 588 million acres) are managed in compliance with PEFC's internationally accepted Sustainability Benchmark. This is an area equivalent to the size of the whole of Mexico, or France, Germany, Italy and the UK combined.

- Two-thirds of all certified forests globally are certified to PEFC.

- By the end of July 2011, more than 10,000 companies and organizations have achieved PEFC Chain of Custody certification.

- One-third of all Chains of Custody globally have been awarded by PEFC.

- 35 National Members (with 29 endorsed national certification systems) and 9 International Stakeholder Members have joined forces under the PEFC umbrella to collaboratively promote sustainable forest management.

- PEFC certification is a standard of choice for public timber procurement policies in e.g. the United Kingdom, Netherlands Germany, and Japan, in addition to numerous private timber procurement policies.

www.pefc.org

Fact Box: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non- governmental organization dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world's forests. It was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a trustworthy wood-labeling scheme.

10 Facts about FSC

- You can buy wood products with a clear conscience when you see the FSC logo. FSC forests are managed with consideration for people, wildlife and the environment.

- The FSC label guarantees that the trees that are harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.

- Parts of the forest are protected entirely, in order to protect rare animals and plants.

- FSC protects the rights of indigenous people to use the forest. If they have sacred sites in the forest these are exempt from felling.

- The forest owner must use local workers to run the forest, and provide training, safety equipment and a decent salary. The forest owner is often obliged to support the community in other ways, such as through the development of schools.

- FSC is a market-based initiative that also ensures better conditions for the forest and the people whose livelihoods depend on it.

- FSC gives an assurance that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the forest.

- All the wood is tracked from the forest to the store. Every link between the forest and the consumer is certified to make it clearly identifiable which wood is FSC certified and which is not.

- FSC is the only wood certification scheme endorsed by the major environmental charities, including WWF, Greenpeace and The Woodland Trust.

- The FSC label is not only available on wood for furniture. It can also be found on floors, decking, paper, printed matter, charcoal, kitchen utensils, latex, even venison!

www.fsc.org

© Timber Design & Technology 2012