Above and BE.YOND

Never a day goes by that the issue of climate change isn’t hitting the headlines. Whether it’s Extinction Rebellion or Greta Thunberg, sustainability and the environment are the hot button topics of the moment.

Businesses are increasingly mindful of their green credentials and actively seek out sustainable, eco-friendly products that not only meet their own environmental objectives, but which give them a genuine USP that can create business opportunities with customers who work to environmental or ethical principles.

World first

Through our long-standing partnership with global decorative panel manufacturer Swiss Krono, International Decorative Surfaces (IDS) is responding to these issues with an exclusive UK distribution agreement to supply the brand’s innovative BE.YOND furniture grade chipboard throughout the UK.

The product boasts an emission level equivalent to natural trees, making it the most environmentally friendly product of its kind currently on the market worldwide for kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office and general furniture manufacturing.

It is available in all 158 decors in the Swiss Krono One World Collection of plain colours, patterns and wood grains, making it a good design choice as well as an environmental one.

Responsible sourcing has long been an important consideration for furniture manufacturers, with FSC or PEFC certified wood products being the material of choice for most. As a market leading distributor, sustainability is as important to us as it is our customer base – 100% of our woodbased products are EU Timber Regulation compliant and over 80% are either FSC or PEFC certified.

However, Swiss Krono’s BE.YOND literally goes ‘beyond’ the usual environmental benchmarks and exceeds all global legislation regarding emission levels. It is made from a minimum of 98% natural wood material with no added formaldehyde and incorporates the trademarked Eco Synthetic DuraBind, a bio-based adhesive system during its manufacture. Due to its high natural content, its certification meets the highest demanded quality and ecological standards for wood-based products – with absolutely no compromise on quality.

As a distributor it is our job to make sure our product portfolio is in step with market needs and with BE.YOND we can do more than that. In January 2020 Germany will see new emission legislation coming into force that requires formaldehyde traces in wood to be just 0.05 parts per million (ppm) and despite the current uncertainty around Brexit, this will undoubtedly impact UK companies. With just 0.01ppm naturally occurring formaldehyde content, BE.YOND exceeds these requirements and even the levels set by Japan at 0.03ppm. It also exceeds CARB Phase 2 standards, improving green building certification.

Meeting market demand

BE.YOND has only recently launched in the UK but we’re already seeing strong interest. The One World decors are already well received in the UK, but the no added formaldehyde offer ticks even more boxes for timber merchants and those buying wood-based products for manufacture, particularly in light of the new regulations.

We’ve had great feedback from bespoke kitchen and bedroom furniture and office furniture manufacturers already striving to provide increasing environmentally friendly options who say that it offers them a real point of differentiation.

BE.YOND is at the forefront of green technology and it is a good option for furniture manufacturers to work with if they are serious about these issues, giving them an ethical and competitive edge.