A joint project launching at Clerkenwell Design Week, A New Seat at the Table follows the journey from woodland to sawmill to the heritage manufacturer’s Princes Risborough factory, and finally into consumers’ homes With a mutual respect for the dignity of wood, ercol is uniquely placed to share Grown in Britain’s goal of securing a better future for British forests by driving demand for sustainable homegrown timber ..“ the UK imports 8 5 billion worth of wood products, while its own woodlands are undermanaged,” explains ercol Chairman Henry Tadros ..“By choosing certified British timber that has travelled fewer miles, we can support the responsible management of our precious forests and help create a new wood culture for the UK,” continues Tadros.
Sustainable, well managed woodlands deliver a host of ecosystem benefits from reduced risk of flooding to clean air and carbon sequestration, as well the economic benefits that come from a thriving timber sector ..“Our ambition is not simply to make our own furniture in British ash, but to support Grown in Britain in developing a scalable, commercially viable supply chain, with a lasting legacy By producing two of our best sellers in British ash which we manufacture at volume we are driving investment along the entire supply chain This is not about limited editions or small scale production we want to show the industry that working with sustainable British timber is not only viable but our responsibility,” continues Tadros Celebrating its 10 th anniversary in July, Grown in Britain’s aims are twofold, offering both a certification scheme, as well as establishing research and development projects such as A New Seat at the Table “Ingrained in British design history, ercol is the ideal partner with whom to launch our first project in the furniture sector Enabled by the Forestry Innovation Fund, this is a truly significant opportunity for the UK furniture industry,” says Grown in Britain’s Rachel Lawrence
“Throwaway goods are one of the key contributors to carbon emissions Solid wood stores carbon until the end of its life, making our partnership with ercol even more meaningful Timeless and enduring wooden furniture, built from UK timber, passed down through generations it is the definition of sustainable homeware,” continues Lawrence
“The seeds of ercol as we know it today were planted in 1944 when my great grandfather Lucian Ercolani won his first contract to make 100 000 Windsor chairs for the Board of Trade Utility Furniture scheme The Old Man brought a lot of practical ideas to manufacturing, all driven by his love of solid wood Joining our century old commitment to making soundly constructed furniture that stands the test of the time is a fresh commitment to responsible British craftsmanship, starting with A New Seat at the Table,” finishes Tadros