Nicola Harrison, managing director of timber window and door manufacturer, Bereco, discusses how the company is leading the way for sustainable practices within the industry as the business introduces the Reconomy Group into its supply chain.

In a notoriously wasteful industry, we’re proud to champion the planet and its renewable and circular resources.

At Bereco, we are now working with Reconomy Group, a circular economy company that allows more of the waste in our consumer operations to be recycled while minimising the components that are not currently recyclable.

Our work with Reconomy Group adds to our existing list of eco-credentials, including being FSC 100% and combatting deforestation with certified timber, and working as a member of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products.

Homebuyers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly features and credentials in properties on the market – with Rightmove reporting a 73% increase in green features mentioned in property listings since 2020.

As such, demand for these features is slowly trickling up the supply chain. We have made our commitment to sustainability clear since our inception. And while other suppliers are beginning to consider their environmental impact, we are spearheading the change, not only complying with the new energy-efficiency regulations as they come in but actively going over and above to protect the planet by any means necessary.

Since 2017, Bereco has made contributions to the World Land Trust from every product sold, recently amounting to £28,000. This donation was part of the ‘Buy an Acre’ programme, designed to protect endangered wildlife and their habitats.

For each door sold, £1 is donated to the World Land Trust which so far has protected over 269 acres of habitat through the programme. The donations made currently support the creation of permanently protected nature reserves in Argentina, Brazil and Kenya.

We are very proud of the donations we have made to the World Land Trust over the last five years. As a business reliant on timber, we are highly conscious of the damage deforestation can cause to the natural world and so we only use FSC 100% wood sourced from FSC certified forests.

Our next target is to reach 1,000 acres of protected rainforest habitat through continued donations to the World Land Trust and we are confident we will achieve this.

By buying timber windows and doors from Bereco, our customers are helping to promote the growth of the forest in Europe and worldwide and are protecting our planet from deforestation and climate change.

Timber is one of the most sustainable building materials, as trees not only capture carbon dioxide but when used, timber acts as a carbon store, retaining its carbon content without releasing it back into the environment.

Timber has the lowest embodied carbon of any window material at just 85kgCO²e compared to aluminium at 161kgCO²e and for every Bereco timber window or door bought over a PVC-U alternative, saves over 252kgCO²e.

Alongside the inherent benefits of using timber in the production of windows and doors, there has also been a wide range of innovations throughout the industry – now more than ever with the introduction of new building regulations.

Already ahead of the curve, timber windows and doors by Bereco are industry leading with U-values up to 15% better than the newly introduced Part L regulations.

Our mission has always been to supply beautiful bespoke timber windows and doors that don’t cost the earth. It’s no longer just a case of just ‘delivering the difference’; but as a business, it is vital to strive to make a difference with naturally renewable, energy-efficient carbon saving timber windows and doors.