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Deepings Building and Plumbing Supplies (www.deepingsbuilding.co.uk) has received prestigious forestry industry accreditation for its timber products which guarantees that they come from sustainable sources.

The Lincolnshire-based builders’ merchant has attained Chain of Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc-uk.org) and from the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (www.pefc.co.uk).

Both accreditations have been awarded after rigorous independent auditing by the UK construction industry body BM-TRADA (www.bmtrada.com).

They mean that customers buying anything from structural timber to fence panels can be sure that the wood comes from sustainable forest sources.

In order to achieve accreditation Deepings Building and Plumbing Supplies and sister company Eco Building Products (www.eco-building-products.co.uk) had to put in place supply chain management systems ensuring compliance with international chain of custody standards. Staff also had to be briefed and trained in the requirements of the certification.

In addition, a system of checks had to be implemented to verify that sourced material is certified and to maintain careful records to prove that all these systems comply with certification requirements. Annual internal audits have also been introduced as well as a programme of regular external third-party audits.

Operations director Ian Greenfield said: “The FSC and PEFC work throughout the entire forest supply chain to ensure that timber products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.

“This now means that our timber supply chain is guaranteed from a sustainable source and controlled throughout its journey to customers – including our sister company Kestrel Timber Frame (www.kestreltimberframe.co.uk) – and on to the end user on site.

“The credit for this achievement must go to my colleague Kevin Maddams who liaised with BM-TRADA and oversaw the process from start to finish.”