Our Commitment to Sustainability

At Bowens and Timbertruss, we actively upcycle timber off-cuts to prevent them from ending up in landfills. Our initiatives include

• Reusing off-cut timbers for bearers on packs
• Repurposing timber bearers from suppliers
• Utilising 45mm and 35mm off-cut timber lengths over 300mm for product wall junction blocks and truss noggins
• Implementing design software at the detailing stage to minimise off-cut waste
• Using state-of-the-art production automation for precise cutting and waste reduction.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an internationally recognised not-for-profit organisation developed to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. It accredits independent third-party organisations to certify forest managers and commercial consumers of by-products against a set of internationals standards.

In addition, the Programme Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international not-for-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management throughout commercial supply chains.

It can be argued that responsibly sourced timbers are the only renewable building materials available. This is due to the planting and harvesting cycle of sustainable plantations. In the growing process the tree uses the solar energy of the sun and the natural process of photosynthesis, removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The tree stores the carbon dioxide, while releasing oxygen.

The carbon dioxide remains stored for the life of the product. A typical 200 square metre, single-storey, timber-framed house uses about 12 cubic metres of timber, which is the equivalent to storing almost 3 tonnes of carbon. This calculates to around 7 tonnes of CO2 taken out of the atmosphere.

After a tree is harvested, another is planted, and the sustainable cycle continues.

We continuously seek methods to reduce our carbon footprint across our stores and invest in solar energy solutions:

• Implementing automatic lights, timers, and LED lighting to conserve energy in-house
• Installing Laserlite transparent roof sheets across our warehouse and manufacturing operations to maximise natural light and decrease reliance on the grid during the day
• Introducing solar panels at all manufacturing sites, including 1,386 solar modules at Timbertruss, with plans to extend this to all Bowens store locations within the next five years.

Transitioning to electric forklifts is vital for reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainability within our stores:

• Transitioning our forklift fleet from LPG to electric
• Utilising electric side-loading forklifts at multiple locations
• All locations equipped with electric pallet jacks
• Provisioning for EV charging stations at all new locations.

Designed for the builder and trade, Bowens industry-leading ecommerce platform allows account holders access to individualised pricing, invoices, quotes, and online orders 24/7. This initiative supports our goal for reduced waste.

We are dedicated to minimising landfill and improving recycling efforts at all store locations. This includes;

• Implementing cardboard and paper recycling throughout our network
• Plastic wrap recycling at select locations
• Recycling LDPE and PP plastics at Timbertruss
• Installing drinking fountains across our business to reduce plastic water bottle usage
• Eliminating plastic items from promotional materials
• Recycling waste, food organic waste and general waste in staff kitchens
• Donating Timbertruss packing sticks and non-reusable timber off-cuts to Geelong Disability People Industries for repurposing.

Conserving our water supply is essential to us. Our efforts to reduce water consumption include:

• Utilising rainwater tanks for landscaping purposes at stores
• Installing zip taps to decrease the use of single use plastic bottles.