“Locally sourced alternatives”
In general, it is true that “locally sourced” may well reduce the contribution of transport to the overall carbon footprint. It is however important to check the carbon footprint and embodied energy of locally manufactured alternatives:- they may not offer the required advantages at all. There are many suppliers jumping on the “our product is green” bandwagon. But many of these products are not as green as they would have you believe. The industry term for this is called “green washing“.
When considering “locally sourced”, ask yourself (and the local supplier) some questions along the lines of;
- How much electricity is involved in manufacturing said product (or it’s sub-components)? Coal fired power stations (most common in SA), are responsible for huge amounts of CO2e. This reliance often completely negates the “it comes from far away” argument.
- Can the manufacturer produce externally audited & verified evaluations of the impact the manufacturing of the product (and it’s sub-components) has on the environment? If it is a product produced from forests, is there, and if so, an FSC CoC in place?
- What about the factory, does it consider the impact it’s production processes have on the environment? ISO 14001 certification goes a long way into addressing these types of questions, so do they have ISO14001 certification?
- Is it dug out of the ground? Using industrial machinery? If so, the carbon footprint of these machines is significant, has this been considered?
- Are the raw materials renewable? Rapidly renewable?
- Is the consumption of the raw materials sustainable?
- Is rehabilitation of the source required? What will the CO2e & embodied energy of the rehabilitation contribute to the footprint of the product?
- What is the ecological impact of the consumption of the raw materials and the manufacturing processes?
If these answers are not forthcoming, or cannot be answered definitively, then is locally sourced really the first prize? As a specifier, specifying certified green products, you need to look at how many CERTIFIED “green” tick boxes are actually being ticked when deciding.
In terms of the local labour considerations (often brought into the arguments against – this is primarily a social issue, not an environmental one); bamboo boards are essentially a “raw material”. Many joiners, cabinet makers, kitchen, cupboard & furniture manufacturers use local labour to produce their end products. The few locally produced solid wood flooring products are still largely manufactured from foreign timber sources.
What then of the “how it is grown arguments against”? Read on …
