This publication will be available on or after 10th August 2012

When London bid to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it pledged to set new standards for sustainable development. One of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s (ODA) objectives was that all timber used would come from known legal and sustainable sources. This had never before been done on a major construction project, and so was a pioneering initiative on a massive scale.

Following consultation with industry, the ODA put in place innovative methods and processes to ensure delivery of its objective. These included: embedding the core objective in policy, procurement, designs and procedures; establishing a Timber Supplier Panel; creating controls, notably a Delivery Management System; educating key stakeholders and the supply chain; and becoming a champion for sustainable timber and a watchdog of the system.

The ODA worked with the industry’s two main timber certification bodies – the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) – to develop a single agreed framework for certifying legal and sustainable timber. Innovation on this project has been a catalyst for change in timber supply, and produced significant lessons and benefits for industry.

This Information Paper sets out the challenges involved in realising the ODA’s ambition, and the processes and procedures that the ODA set in place in order to deliver it. It highlights key feedback and learning from the project. The content is based on interviews with key personnel and research using relevant project documentation. This Information Paper is aimed at those involved in procuring timber, construction companies and contractors.

A4, 8pp, 5 photos