Bringing Sustainable Joinery to Timber Window Manufacturing

Sustainability is at the forefront of many people’s minds in the wake of climate change.

Now more than ever, homeowners across the globe are looking to make better informed choices that align with their eco-conscious values when making improvements to their home.

The threat to the environment has always been important to us at Westbury. Without abundant forests, we simply wouldn’t have a product. That’s why we hold ourselves strictly accountable and never compromise on our eco-conscious values, staying committed to always acting in an environmentally responsible way in every aspect of the company.

We want to minimise our effect on the planet and improve the environment we all live in. In this article we will cover exactly how we aim to do this, from responsible material sourcing down to optimising our processes to minimise waste, so that you can be sure you’re making a well-informed environmentally conscious decision when choosing to upgrade with Westbury’s sustainable timber joinery.

Responsible Timber Sourcing & Material Selection

Timber is often assumed to be a great joinery choice compared to uPVC for those looking to be more sustainable. Unfortunately, due to unethical deforestation practices and irresponsibly produced waste, this isn’t always the case. It’s important to ensure that your timber is sustainably sourced.

Rest assured, we only produce FSC certified windows and doors and environmentally friendly joinery, selecting top performing materials in both function and sustainability.

What is an FSC certification?

An FSC certification is only given to forest products that adhere to ten strict principles, covering a wide range of important issues from preserving biological diversity, ensuring the acknowledgement of workers’ rights, the protection of indigenous peoples and the monitoring of the environmental and social impacts of the overall forest management. By opting for FSC certified windows and doors, you can rest easy knowing that you’ve done your bit to support sustainable timber sourcing.

Accoya® Timber

Our timber of choice is Accoya®, which is an engineered wood. Accoya® is made from the fast-growing, copiously available radiata pine, harvested from FSC certified forests.

We selected Accoya® for its alignment with our sustainable values, but also for its unrivalled performance. Accoya® is extremely durable – resistant to rot, water damage, decay, as well as being resistant to insect damage! Not only this, but Accoya® has fantastic dimensional stability. This is integral when it comes to timber joinery, as the lack of swelling, shrinking and warping ensures that your eco-friendly windows and doors do not need to be regularly repainted or replaced.

Did You Know?

Timber joinery of yesteryearwas unfavoured as the wood was prone to warping, meaning that the windows moved constantly. This resulted in gaps and poor performance, and the movement also caused the paint to crack. Thanks to its desirable properties, Accoya wood solves these problems and instead offers great longevity and lower maintenance!

Timber Windows vs uPVC Windows

Sustainable Joinery Manufacturing & Finishing Processes

Our sustainability practices do not end with our material sourcing. Here are some additional ways that we adhere to our environmental ethos.

Minimising Waste

We optimise the cutting of our timber to minimise the amount of waste we produce. Our Opticut cross cut saw uses revolutionary modern technology to cut the timber as efficiently as possible. By using a single piece of timber, the saw cuts components for the overall job as opposed to tackling this section by section. This results in minimal offcuts, and the small amount of waste that it does produce is used to heat our office!

We are proud that Westbury can represent sustainable joinery by being at the forefront of sustainable factory practices.

Heating

That’s right, our office and factory heating is powered by our timber waste! This is all chipped down and used to power our bio mass boiler, which heats our hot water all year round and our heating during the colder months.

Eco-Friendly Finishes

Our paint is water-based, meaning that there are no solvents or hazardous chemicals present. We use three spray-applied coats and our products are guaranteed to last ten years without the need for a repaint, so long as regular maintenance is carried out (a quarterly wash down with a simple detergent).

Adhesives

Fun fact – our wood glue is FDA approved! It is completely free of harmful solvents and cleans up easily with water, interestingly resulting in it being approved for indirect food contact. This gives you peace of mind that the entire product is free from hazardous chemicals.

Transport

We are committed to lowering our carbon emissions, and our transport is no exception to this goal. By ensuring that our work is always to the highest possible standard and our product is built to last, we reduce how often our vans travel, minimising our carbon footprint.

Ironmongery

We use British made ironmongery and European locks to ensure that even when we are sourcing externally, we’re sourcing locally. This lowers our carbon footprint and supports the local economy, helping to create British and European jobs.

Designing for Durability, Repairability & Energy Efficiency

Our sustainable joinery is efficient by design. With proper maintenance, our FSC certified windows and doors are guaranteed by us to last for 10 years. By investing in sustainable joinery that is hand-crafted with longevity in mind, you are not only saving yourself replacement fees and worries in the long run, but you’re also adding character and architectural charm to your home without compromising on the eco-conscious values that are close to your heart.

Thermal Performance

As a standard, all our joinery contains double glazing with a low-emissivity coating. This ensures great thermal efficiency, reducing heat transfer through your windows and therefore keeping central heating inside during the winter. This coating also blocks some sunrays during the summer, helping to prevent your home from becoming uncomfortably warm.

Did You Know?

Our casement frame thickness is 115mm, which meets the high standards of the Scandinavian market, famous for their notoriously cold temperatures! In the UK, traditional frame thickness in 90mm. Westbury window units are thicker than average, offering better insulation for your property as a result.

Repairability

In most cases, uPVC windows and doors can only be repaired by replacing the entire unit itself. If the frame is warped by the sun, has cracked, or is generally damaged, the window cannot be reshaped.

Timber windows and doors can be repaired far more easily than uPVC. Damaged wood in the frame can be repaired by removing and replacing the section, and any imperfections in the wood can be filled. This saves you money and the planet in the long run, as less waste is created.

If condensation occurs between the panes, then the seal has broken, and the gas inside has escaped. Sometimes with timber joinery, the individual glass panes can be replaced rather than the entire unit – however, this can often work out more expensive. This is because glaziers will have to visit your property. Depending on the location, high call out fees may apply. Additionally, if the blown window is at height, this will require multiple glaziers to safely replace. It’s often a simpler process to replace the entire unit.

Sustainable By Design

Sustainability goes beyond the materials used; it’s genuine care for the planet and minimising the overall impact we have on it. Westbury continues to lead the way in innovative, ethical design, considering the entire lifecycle of our products and doing our part to always be environmentally conscious.

Get in touch with us today to book a factory tour where you can see our sustainable practices in person.