The Bois de France label: 3 years of commitment to the service of the French wood industry

The BOIS DE FRANCE label celebrates its 3rd anniversary

The BOIS DE FRANCE label illustrates its environmental and social commitment by developing a virtuous ecosystem that promotes short circuits, promotes raw materials and supports all players in the sector, suppliers, processors, manufacturers and traders. Initiative of the National Federation of Wood which launched in 2015 “Prefer French wood”, the association then structured itself to give birth in January 2020 to the BOIS DE FRANCE brand and label. Its objective: to promote the French forest resource, the know-how of wood processing professionals, while contributing positively to the reduction of the carbon footprint of construction and the maintenance of local jobs.

Validated in June 2020 and the result of work bringing together professionals, organizations in the wood industry and certifying bodies, the BOIS DE FRANCE standard offers the assurance of wood produced and processed in France: the wood comes from forests. managed sustainably; their transformation is done near their place of harvest on the national territory in order to limit transport and their GHG emissions. Thanks to a traceability reference system and audits carried out annually, the label guarantees that a finished product, identified BOIS DE FRANCE, contains wood from French forests and that this wood is 100% processed in France.

Continuous development at the service of the sector

From 40 companies committed in July 2020, the label now has 161 companies, an increase that demonstrates their desire to make a collective commitment to guarantee the sustainability of the French wood industry. These companies cover a wide variety of professions: companies wishing to promote their BOIS DE FRANCE products, contracting authorities or prime contractors wishing to put forward projects integrating BOIS DE FRANCE, organizations wishing to engage in the promotion of the label. .. It thus represents all the stakeholders of the French sector with processors (sawyers, manufacturers of interior and exterior fittings, wood energy sector, etc.), manufacturers, distributors, etc. Among the sawyers, we can note this year the progression within the label of hardwood sawyers, who represent a significant part of the French resource.

There are two ways to get involved with BOIS DE FRANCE:

• through the labeling of BOIS DE FRANCE products, this is the case for processors, traders, etc. - or projects, such as the Lidl supermarket in Epinal, the first building to be labeled BOIS DE FRANCE
• through partnerships, this is the case of players such as IBC or URBAIN DES BOIS who joined the label this year, committing to promote the use of BOIS DE FRANCE in construction projects, or interprofessional of the forest-wood sector through biosourced wood pacts (Grand Est, Auvergne Rhône Alpes, etc.)

To support its development, the BOIS DE FRANCE label expanded its team in 2022 with the arrival of Céline Barbier and Anthony Marcadier, respectively in charge of the label's development in the east (Lyon) and west of France ( Bordeaux) to support Jérôme Martinez, manager of the label based in Nancy. This territorial presence demonstrates the label's desire to offer support as close as possible to the players in the sector and their markets.

Great prospects for 2023

The BOIS DE FRANCE label intends to continue its development and aims to exceed 200 committed companies and partners by the end of 2023.

He will participate in different events such as:

• Les Journées des collections, from March 28 to 30 in Marseille: this event dedicated to exterior fittings is an annual professional meeting that brings together distribution (GSA, GSB) and suppliers in the sector. This first participation of BOIS DE FRANCE illustrates its desire to develop, particularly in the field of distribution and the wood energy sector. The label welcomes players such as Flamino (French distributor of wood pellets, firewood and charcoal to large retailers), Soler (charcoal), Atelier du Livet (animal shelters) and Jacquenet Malin (tool handles and outdoor furniture).
• The Forum Bois Construction, from April 12 to 14 in Lille, the unmissable meeting place for professionals in the sector to discuss with project owners, property developers and investors, elected officials, landlords, developers, project managers, architects, town planners, design offices, economists, engineers, manufacturers, builders, carpenters, joiners, fitters-integrators, distributors...
• The SIMI, from December 12 to 14 in Paris: in December, BOIS DE FRANCE will also take part in the meeting of reference for real estate players. The opportunity to promote French wood to those players who have turned to the wood material since the implementation of the 2020 Environmental Regulations (RE2020).

Among the projects in progress for 2023, Jérôme Martinez, Manager of the label, mentions the wish to work on the reference system: “our objective is to adapt to the world of construction and to always be as close as possible to the operation of companies, without compromise on the guarantees offered by the BOIS DE FRANCE label”.

Finally, he also mentions a major investment for the label, the creation of a platform for connecting companies in the French timber industry and project owners. This tool will be open to all players in the sector, whether or not they are involved in the BOIS DE FRANCE approach, and should be operational by the end of the year. This ambitious project illustrates the label's desire to contribute to the development and sustainability of the French wood industry.