“Vacuum pressure impregnation allows the extension of the useful life and thus the sustainability of indigenous woods such as pine to 15 to 20 years. The wood preservatives used for impregnation are subject to strict European biocides legislation (Nb: Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) No. 528/2012) and are rigorously checked in terms of their environmental and health compatibility as part of the authorisation procedure. Hardly any other product in Europe has to undergo such extensive checks, tests and assessments to obtain official approval as wood preservatives!” says Andreas Scheerer, President of DHV and Managing Director of Erich Scheerer GmbH.
Dr Ralf Schulz, Managing Director of Wolman Wood and Fire Protection GmbH, underlines this point: “Especially with regard to the European Green Deal and the increasing use of wood as a CO2-binding building material, it is important to take care to protect the wood used in order to benefit from its sustainable properties in the long term as well. Wolman and all other wood preservative manufacturers and wood treating companies (WEI members) have therefore joined forces under the leadership of the VCI to form a BPR Advocacy Initiative. This will clearly highlight and defend the benefits of wood protection and its fundamental benefits for the European Green Deal objectives before the EU Commission.”
“It is necessary to get this information across to the end users of VPI wood”, emphasises Jochen Würfele, 1st Chairman of RAL Gütegemeinschaft Imprägnierte Holzbauelemente e. V. and Managing Director of Braun & Würfele GmbH & Co. KG, he continues: “It is important for private garden owners as well as timber dealers, garden and landscape builders, vintners and fruit growers to place high demands on product quality when purchasing vacuum pressure impregnated timber in order to benefit from the longevity of these indigenous timber products. In Germany, VPI products marked with the RAL quality mark have a 10-year manufacturer's warranty!” In this context, Jochen Würfele also refers to a new study by the Eberswalde Materials Testing Institute. This study compares VPI impregnated wood posts and decking boards from RAL certified companies with corresponding products from DIY stores. The wood from the DIY stores showed considerable quality deficiencies, which are reflected in the low life expectancy of the wood used [Holz Zentralblatt, No. 32, 13 August 2021, pp. 569-571] https://lnkd.in/dRgAtqbh