Timber is a renewable, natural material that can be easily recycled. During their lifetime trees act as carbon sinks, extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and converting it into carbohydrate for their growth. The only by-product of this process is fresh, healthy and non-polluting oxygen. The wood is also used in its natural state, so the industrial processes involved in wooden flooring are far less energy intensive than those used for other common materials such as carpets or laminate boards. Finally, a wooden floor will last you a lifetime, the ultimate accolade when it comes to being green.

At Solid Floor we take our environmental responsibility seriously and want to preserve the sources of wood, which we feel so passionately about. Wherever possible we source wood that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and we buy the majority of our timber from European forests. The European timber industry has seen a steady expansion of Europe's forests over the past 60 years. Between 1990 and 2000 it had grown by 30%. As only 65% of the annual growth is harvested, these forests continue take 252 million cubic metres of carbon from the carbon sink every year.

Aside from timber we offer flooring made from bamboo. This extremely strong variety of grass can be harvested every five years without replanting as it will grow a new shoot from its extensive root system. Our natural fibres range includes pure wool, seagrass, paper, sisal and jute, all materials that come from natural and renewable sources and are easy to recycle after use.

If you would like to find out more about the sustainable use of timber we recommend these websites:
The Forestry Commission
(0845 367 3787, www.forestry.gov.uk)
Wood For Good campaign group
(0800 279 0016, www.woodforgood.com)
The Timber Research and Development Association
(01494 569600, www.trada.co.uk)