OUR STORY
We have always been environmentally conscious, with the journey starting many years ago with sustainability at the forefront. Since the late 1990’s Glosswood has had a vision to retain the beauty of real timber by choosing a plantation timber rather than logging native slow-growth forests. We use a species of timber called Paulownia which is sustainably grown and harvested, with countless advantages such as its beautiful grain and lightweight characteristics. Glosswood is continually specified by Australia’s leading architectural practises and have been featured in key design magazines and websites (The Design Files, InsideOut, Real Living, Artichoke, Habitus). As our sales team have an interior design background, it allows for architectural partnering with like-minded people in the design and construction industry.
SUSTAINABILITY
There’s no denying we need to change how we design, build and live in our homes to reduce the impact on the natural environment. The materials used in construction have a significant impact on our planet. As leaders in the Australian timber market, Glosswood are part of this shift. We are offering the market a plantation timber that is sustainably grown in a decade, rather than cutting down a species that has taken a lifetime to grow.
TIMBER
We use a timber species called Paulownia, which is sustainably grown and harvested. By using a plantation timber, it creates long-lasting environmental change as it provides an alternative to cheap, man-made products. It also saves the logging of slow-growth species which takes many decades to reach maturity.
SUPPLY & MANUFACTURING
We have close relationships with our timber suppliers, to ensure the Paulownia is premium grade and comes certified as legally obtained plantation timber. Our timber boards are manufactured locally by a dedicated team in Perth, Western Australia. We are constantly innovating and adapting to provide new timber colours and profiles that appeal to the Australian market.
CONSIDERED COATINGS
Our coatings are environmentally considered as we continue to innovate. In 2004, we launched our Satin coating which is low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), which took many years of research to perfect.
COMMUNITY
We continue to partner alongside charities and fundraising initiatives. We regularly support local non-for-profit charity Trillion Trees (formally Men of the Trees), who aim to plant and grow native trees to improve biodiversity, combat salinity and soil erosion. In 2021 we have began involvement with Containers for Change, donating our refunds from the returned containers to environmentally focused organisations. We continually look for ways to improve our efforts to make a positive impact on the local and broader community.
PACKAGING
Innovation and sustainability is at the forefront of what we stand for. If there is an earth-friendly alternative, we will always choose to implement it. We post out samples with biodegradable alternatives such as certified compostable mailers, ‘honeycomb’ kraft paper and masking tape to reduce the use of plastic packaging.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT
We are committed to the journey. We see sustainability as an opportunity to make change for the future of our planet and the generations to come. We are making a significant impact on the construction industry by providing a natural timber alternative to the market. This provides a substitute to using material-intensive ‘recycled plastic timber’ as well as slow-growth timber. We are excited to be on this sustainability journey to better improve our practices.