As suppliers of manufactured goods, All Urban Ltd is committed to sustainability and to protecting the earth and its resources for generations to come.

This work starts with materials: what is used, where it comes from, and how it is treated. All products that we supply are made from sustainable materials that can be recycled. An example is wood, which if sourced from a sustainably managed forest, is one of the most sustainable construction materials available.

Why is this? Well, wood comes from the ground and returns to the ground, and in production (i.e. growing) trees suck up CO2 from the atmosphere. Plus, compared to other materials, very little processing is needed to turn the tree into furniture, compared to materials such as aluminium. This means less emissions are produced through manufacturing.

Whilst some people consider timber to be a construction material of the past, at All Urban we regard it as a material of the future.

The Accoya story

One wood that we are particularly excited by is Accoya, made from Radiata Pine and described as having ‘minimal environmental impact throughout its entire life’.

Accoya is sourced from fast growing, sustainably certified forests (meaning they are well managed, continuously replenished, and that no damage is caused to the surrounding environment, or to native flora and fauna when harvesting the timber).

Accoya is treated in a way that also provides several environmental benefits. The wood is modified using acetic acid, which essentially is vinegar, with all excess being removed during this process. Therefore, as a non-toxic material there is nothing within the wood that can leach out and harm the environment. As a Gold Cradle to Cradle Certified product, Accoya is fully biodegradable and at the end of its life, it can be disposed of in the same way as untreated wood, or preferably re-used and recycled for different purposes.

Film forming coatings that are applied to Accoya last significantly longer than on any other type of wood, so that less maintenance is needed throughout its life span. An Accoya product will not need to be redecorated for at least 10-12 years, which offers both exceptional value and performance to the purchaser, and it reduces carbon consumption from carrying out this work on a more regular basis.

Benefits to the buyer

The experts behind Accoya have such confidence in the product that they offer a 50-year warranty against rot and excessive movement above ground, and a 25-year warranty in ground or freshwater.

For the nature of products we supply that use Accoya, we are confident that they offer excellent levels of durability, and will remain looking pristine for a long time. And we enjoy passing this peace of mind on to our customers!

People often assume that sustainable options will cost more, but this isn’t always the case and we believe it is more important to focus on whole lifetime value, as opposed to upfront cost. Accoya may be more expensive than commodity tropical hardwoods, however, the return on investment is delivered throughout a product’s lifespan. The reduced maintenance requirements can offset initial costs, compared to other woods that need tending to more regularly.

And perhaps most importantly, the cost to our planet is far greater if we continue to use unsustainable resources, and CO2 emitting methods. Don’t we all have a moral obligation to invest in sustainable products?

To find out more about Accoya, visit the website and to find out more about our range of products, made from sustainable materials and processes, please get in touch with us.