Environment

A Sustainable Resource

Plantation Grown

Austral Plywoods utilises Hoop Pine, a sustainable resource that is 100% plantation grown and managed by the HQPlantations. HQPlantations is the largest plantation company in Queensland and is committed to sustainable forest management. Forests under HQPlantations care are managed from a long-term, stewardship perspective that benefits the environment as well as stakeholders.  The resource is RW certified.

HQPlantations

HQPlantations is independently certified under the Responsible Wood (RW) system. This forest certification system requires HQPlantations to meet internationally-accepted criteria for sustainable forest management covering economic, social, environmental and cultural perspectives. It also gives Queensland's timber industry access to a "chain of custody" process for green labelling its products as coming from sustainably managed forest resources when sourced from HQPlantations.

For more information, visit www.hqplantations.com.au

Responsible Wood

RW sets criteria for sustainable forest management from an economic, social, environmental and cultural perspective. It addresses aspects such as maintaining biological diversity, ecosystem health and vitality, soil and water quality and protecting indigenous cultural and spiritual values. Mutual recognition of RW with other similar national schemes by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) confers international status on RW. 

Read about the similarities and differences between the PEFC and FSC environmental schemes. 

For more information, visit www.responsiblewood.org.au

Superpod sustainable home

Austral Hoop Pine plywood was considered the best sustainable choice to lend an organic warmth and contrast to the Superpod sustainable home project.

Chain of Custody

What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody is an environmental certification system that demonstrates an unbroken chain from a certified, sustainable forest, right through to the end user. It ensures that all resource is from responsibly managed forests, and that there is traceability of all resource inputs.

RW/PEFC Certification

The Austral Plywoods product range is also certified for Chain of Custody under AS 4707:2021. The Austral Plywoods Chain of Custody, linked to Responsible Wood (RW), was awarded through an independently audited process carried out by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) - accredited by JAS-ANZ. (Download certificate)

Green Star timber credits available

Green Star timber credits are available for our RW/PEFC products. Please contact us for more information.

Important to us, important to you

Chain of Custody certification is essential for Austral Plywoods, as it demonstrates the importance we place on the responsible management of forests that supply this company. By customers choosing our products, they are supporting responsibly managed timber harvesting and processing, which is vital for the future of Australia's forestry and wood product resources.

Our Initiatives

Respecting Our Resource

Central to our product quality is our excellent Hoop Pine resource. We have long recognised the value of our resource and have therefore worked towards utilising the veneer to its fullest potential. For instance, every log is peeled in a two stage process, thus maximising the recovery of high grade veneer. Once peeled, the veneer is carefully graded (and sometimes re-graded) so that it can be used in the highest application possible. Even veneer pieces are recovered by jointing into full sheets - little is wasted.

Utilisation of Wood Waste

Inevitably, wood waste is generated in the plywood production process. To counter this issue Austral Plywoods installed a heat plant in 1989, allowing us to convert our wood waste into energy. The heat plant is a clean and efficient method of virtually eliminating wood waste whilst at the same time providing energy for other parts of the production process.

Solar Energy

Recent advances in solar energy technology together with pressures in energy costs and availability, led Austral Plywoods to implement a solar energy system in 2017. The advantage of having significant roof space allowed us to install 360 solar panels, with room to expand the system in the future.

Environmental Licence

Austral Plywoods adheres to an environmental licence issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, a Queensland State Government authority. This, together with our Integrated Environmental Management System (IEMS), ensures that activities conducted onsite are managed in an environmentally conscious manner.

National Pollutant Inventory (NPI)

Since its inception, Austral Plywoods has participated in the NPI, an inventory of the types and amounts of pollutants being emitted by industry throughout Australia. Participation involves regular testing of a number of substance emissions, with results reported annually. Past results have shown our pollutant emissions to have a ranking of 1 (on a scale of 1-100, where 1 is the lowest emission rating available).

Future Improvements

Minimising our environmental impact is a continual work in progress. We are frequently investigating and evaluating methods of improving our environmental performance.