HJ Berry

Timber Usage Statement

 

All HJ Berry chairs and stools, and most Berry table frames, are made from temperate hardwoods 

(Beech, Ash and Oak), over 95% of which is British and is harvested from carefully managed forests. 

The remaining 5% of timber we purchase comes from managed Western European sources. 

Our timber is cut from the log and seasoned on site.

 

British hardwood is a much more environmentally-friendly alternative than almost any other material. 

The creation of plastic, steel and aluminum, for example, exhausts considerably more of the earth’s 

resources, and also contributes more to global warming and pollution in the production process. 

Hardwoods, on the other hand, spend the first 150 years or so of their lives converting sunshine and 

rainwater into timber whilst providing wildlife habitat, cleaning the atmosphere and producing the 

air we breathe.

 

We only fell trees that have been planted by man. Furthermore, no trees purchased by HJ Berry are 

felled unless new trees are grown again in their place. Due to the law in this area, and initiatives to 

increase the broadleaf forests of Britain, it should remain possible to utilise British hardwoods 

for evermore. This is the ultimate in sustainability. Additionally, we pledge that for every dining 

set sold, HJ Berry & Sons will plant and care for a tree.

 

"For the past 18 months, Lancashire Rural Futures have been working closely with HJ Berry Ltd to 

create a substantial area of new native woodland. The woodland planting has recently been 

completed and will be a wonderful resource for the local community, whilst further enhancing HJ Berry's 

commitment to sustainability. We hope to continue our relationship with HJ Berry, for I am sure further 

innovative and ideological projects will be brought to fruition."

Richard Atton, Environment Project Officer, Lancashire Rural Futures

 

H J Berry are involved with several projects aimed at increasing the broadleaved woodland cover in Britain. 

We are members of the Woodland Trust, the Woodland Heritage, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the 

WWF95+ Group. The latter are the sponsors of the FSC certification scheme which we support. 

One of our directors sits on the steering group of the Lancashire Woodlands Project. The project aims to 

stimulate sustainable woodland management by encouraging the use of local timber by local businesses.

 

“H J Berry & Sons Ltd shares the aims and objectives of the LWP and has been very supportive. 

Their commitment to using local timber and to planting new woodlands is a shining example. They have also 

been very helpful by using local timber in some experimental projects and we are currently working with the 

company to develop a dining suite made entirely from local timber. This sort of collaboration is at the cutting 

edge of developing sustainable woodland management, which ultimately benefits not only companies like 

Berry's but also the whole community.”

Paul Bullimore, Lancashire Woodlands Project

 

We do not use Tropical Rainforest timber, which in many cases is not sustainably harvested, and whose 

long distance transportation would be at odds with our environmental ethic. All our timber is sustainably 

harvested, and none of it has been shipped over long distances.

 

We also use chipboard, medium density fibreboard and laminated wood for some seat frames and back panels. 

We source material which has a high FSC content and is low in chemicals, purchasing from only the most

environmentally-conscious suppliers. 

 

View our Environmental Fact Sheet