Sustainable outdoor furniture is not a new thing for Woodberry. We have been making our recycled plastic picnic tables since 2008 (14 years) and we have held full FSC® Certification (FSC C115839) since 2013 (9 years).
We try our best to consider the environmental sustainability of our raw materials and products, and the ethics of the companies involved in our supply chain. However, like everyone we could all do better and we keep working on ways that we can supply the furniture that our customers want, at competitive prices and in an environmentally conscious and ethical way.
Our company ethos is that we are here to help our customers. So here is a spotlight on our sustainable sourcing to help you decide whether to buy our sustainable, value for money outdoor furniture products.
The 3 key elements we want to talk about here are:
• Sustainability of raw materials (wood and recycled plastics)
• Ethics of our supply chain companies in the treatment of staff
• Longevity of furniture – hardwearing, with long guarantees (we are not a ‘fast furniture’ company)
1. Sustainability of our raw materials
The majority of our wooden furniture and wooden gazebos are FSC® Certified. This includes our picnic tables, tables and benches, litter bins, teak products and parasols. We list on each product page whether it is FSC® Certified.
What is FSC® Certification?
It is very important to us to hold FSC accreditation and we work hard to uphold the requirements of the FSC.
We have further information on FSC Accreditiation – click here.
But simply put, FSC forests are grown sustainably to protect the environment of the forest, and the people who work in the forestry supply chain.
Where does our FSC wood come from?
The Forest Certified Wood that we source comes from Scandinavian forests (specifically Sweden, Norway, Finland).
It is predominantly Northern European Redwood but some of our more budget picnic tables are made from Northern European Whitewood.
We have a handy guide to the differences between redwood and whitewood – click here
Our FSC certified teak is from Thailand.
Our Recycled Plastic Outdoor Furniture Products
We endeavour to provide our customers with the best recycled plastic outdoor furniture for hospitality venues.
We source our recycled plastic lumber planks from Europe. The recycled plastic lumber is made from a mixture of HDPE, LDE and PET. Which is specifically plastic wrapping, single use plastic bottles and bubble wrap. Find out more click here
What do we do with our recycled plastic lumber?
When the recycled plastic lumber arrives with us, our small workshop team in Leamington Spa treat this a bit like wooden planks. Allowing for temperature tolerances (if it’s warm the plastic can expand), it is cut to size, reinforced with steel in the table top and bench seats, and drilled ready for assembly.
The picnic tables are delivered flat packed to ensure efficiencies of transport and to reduce the costs to the customer. They are easy to assemble. We can pre-assemble if required.
Which products are made from recycled plastic?
The Greendine® Recycled Plastic A-Frame Picnic Tables (available as 1.4m long or 1.8m long), Greendine® Litter Bin and Greendine® ‘G’ Shaped Bench are all made from the recycled plastic lumber. These products are made by our team in Leamington Spa.
Not only is the plastic recycled but the recycled plastic outdoor furniture is also fully recyclable itself. Please talk to us about how we can help with the disposal of this furniture.
2. Ethics and sustainability of the supply chain
For the products sourced from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, we use Inspection agents on the ground in the countries we source manufactured products from to evaluate the factories and workshops before we work with them and for on-going evaluation.
There are 7 different aspects a factory is evaluated on during these inspections; Organisational structure and HR, Business and Logistical Management, Technical and Production Management, Quality Management, Safety Management, Legitimacy and Human Rights, Transportation. We are provided photos of the factory and the working practises.
However, the majority of our products are sourced from Europe or built here in Leamington Spa over which we have more control in determining European and UK welfare and safety regulations and practices.
3. Designed for a hard wearing long life - 10 to 25 year guarantees
Most of our Woodberry designed outdoor furniture is designed and built to have a long life in a commercial hospitality environment.
We don’t want you to dispose of your furniture after 1-2 years because it was not robust enough for high-frequency hospitality.
We build chunky wooden furniture, with hardwearing screws and brackets. This is treated with a white spirit based wood preservative to keep them from rotting and weather proofing them for a longer life.
5-10 year Guarantees for Wooden Furniture
Most of our wooden furniture comes with a 5-10 year structural guarantee but many of our hospitality clients (who have looked after the furniture with frequent weather proofing treatments) have used the furniture for longer than this.
Using Castle Drogo National Trust as an example, they moved their older furniture to the Picnic Orchard but still getting good use out of it after 10 years use in the cafe area.
25-year Guarantees for Recycled Plastic Furniture
Our Greendine® Recycled Plastic comes with a 25-year structural guarantee. This is because it is reinforced with steel to prevent sagging but also that the recycled plastic material is incredibly weatherproof and does not rot or split. Clients with coastal venues or those exposed to more extreme weather favour our recycled plastic picnic tables and benches.
Talk to us about our supply chain and raw materials
We are always pleased to talk to you and hear feedback on how we can develop.
Please give us a call and our friendly team can talk you through our products origins and raw materials.
01926 889922