Last chance to enter Timber Trade Federation's Conversations about Climate Change competition

Dezeen promotion: there are just three weeks left to enter the Timber Trade Federation's Conversations about Climate Change design competition.

The competition challenges designers and craftspeople to create innovative, playful and thought-provoking designs using sustainably sourced tropical timber, in a bid to show the importance of the natural resource.

Creations can be anything from a piece of furniture or a sculpture to an installation or a functional design object. The competition closes for entries on 24 August 2020.

Entrants must develop designs that spark discussion about material provenance and the role of forests and wood in lessening climate change, as well as being both aesthetically and technically impressive.

Creations must also address the role of the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) – the UK and EU's Action Plan to combat illegal logging, subsequent trade and deforestation – in ensuring legal and sustainable forestry and timber supply.

"Entitled 'Conversations about Climate Change', we want people to come up with design ideas that stimulate conversation and encourage thought about the provenance of materials used in design, their origins, and the impacts they might have," said Timber Trade Federation CEO David Hopkins.

"We've intentionally left the brief fairly broad for submissions to foster greater inspiration and creativity," he continued. "Our only requirement is that the conversation pieces encourage discussion around the role of forestry and timber in the climate emergency."

According to Hopkins, responsibly foresting and sourcing timber is an "essential part of the solution" in reducing harmful carbon emissions. However, tropical forests are often taken advantage of, and forest land is cleared for other uses.

The FLEGT initiative helps combat illegal logging, subsequent illegal timber trade and deforestation.

"We have focused on tropical timber as this is the main area that needs attention internationally," said Hopkins. "We are trying to encourage better and more responsible sourcing of product, along with better understanding of the UK & EU's FLEGT Action Plan."

"FLEGT is designed to improve governance and management of forests in the tropics, encouraging investment and trade as a result. We're very much in favour," he continued.

"Research shows that timber harvesting from sustainable forest management sources will actually keep the forests standing, provided that governance and legal reforms are in place," added Hopkins. "We can support this by keeping trade alive and money flowing back to those countries making the positive changes."

Six winners will be announced at the beginning of September 2020, and each will be provided with timber sourced from VPA countries working towards FLEGT-licensing – responsibly sourced through the Timber Trade Federations' members – and a £1,000 maker's bursary.

Where necessary, provisions will be made to match up designers with workshops for designs to be developed and fabricated.

Winners will be chosen by an expert judging panel, made up of Hopkins as well as Brinkworth CEO Adam Brinkworth and the Building Centre's creative director Vanessa Norwood.

Other names include London-based designer Yinka Ilori, Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield, Andrew Waugh of Waugh Thistleton Architects and Leah Riley Brown of the British Retail Consortium.

The final creations will be exhibited in an online gallery, and a shortlist will be displayed in the exhibition at the Building Centre in London in November – the month when the COP26 was set to take place.

The competition is organised with the support of the Department for International Development and in association with the Building Centre in London.

Entries to the Conversations about Climate Change competition close on 24 August 2020.

More information on the competition, including details on how to enter, can be found via the Building Centre website.

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