FSC makes headway in Greenland
FSC certified wood is now available for the booming housing construction sector in Greenland. STARK, the Danish chain of professional builders merchants has expanded its multi-site FSC certificate to cover its stores in Greenland. The five STARK stores are the first FSC-certified businesses in Greenland.
The initiative is part of STARK’s overall approach to CSR and business on the ice-clad island.
“We want to offer FSC certified wood based products to the construction sector in Greenland, in line with our policy in Denmark,” Poul Erik Nørnberg, director of STARK in Greenland says.
“There is an increasing demand for FSC certified products in Greenland, and it is therefore natural for us to meet the demands of the market and our customers.”
STARK has five stores in Greenland located in Nuuk, Asiaat, Ilulissat, Qaqortoq and Sisimiut.
STARK Ilulissat is the northernmost supplier of FSC certified building materials in the world.
A promising new market
“In Greenland, people in the smaller towns and villages often live in fairly small homes. The Government of Greenland is looking to address this and to provide Greenlanders with larger homes in the future,” Mr Nørnberg continues.
“The Government is the most important contractor in Greenland. In addition to public buildings, it is responsible for most housing projects in Greenland. It is our experience that the Government in Greenland follows the voluntary guidelines for sustainable construction developed by the Danish Government. These guidelines attach great importance to the use of certified wood, and therefore we expect to experience a growing market for our certified wood based products.”
CSR and community involvement
“As part of our CSR strategy, we wish to have a strong presence and we see ourselves as an integrated part of the local community in Greenland. We want to play a positive and constructive role in helping to build a steady community. For example, we no longer always ‘import’ manpower from Denmark – instead we invest in building a local professional capacity to provide jobs for the people living in Greenland,” says Mr Nørnberg.
“As part of the Wolesley Group, STARK also follows the overall CSR principles, which emphasise responsible timber sourcing. We are members of CSR Greenland and are engaged in efforts to place CSR on the agenda for Greenland’s businesses, and we are committed to fulfilling CSR Greenland’s Charter. As part of these efforts, STARK now provides the builders and construction contractors in Greenland with the choice to buy certified building materials with a known and sustainable origin.”
About STARK
STARK is a builder’s merchant with 5 stores in Greenland and 88 stores in Denmark and has approx. 2,500 employees. STARK is the leading supplier of building materials in Denmark, and is a part of DT group, which is owned by Wolseley plc. Wolseley plc supplies building materials and services across Europe and North America.
