Sustainability.

Whether it is in our environment, our processes or our community, AKD recognises that sustainability is central to our long-term success.

Our Environment

All of the wood fibre AKD process is sourced from pine plantation forests. We do not process any timber from native forests.

Around 90% of the fibre that enters our mills is sourced from external forestry companies and is certified or assessed to Australian or International standards for sustainable forest management.

In addition to the fibre sourced externally, AKD sawmills also process fibre from plantations we own and manage. These plantations are assessed to international standards for sustainable forest management through the controlled wood certification standard. Collectively, our plantations cover over 11,000 hectares.

AKD’s dedicated Forestry team manages our plantation estate, focusing on establishing the right plant genetics and growing conditions to produce the right fibre for our sawmills, and ultimately into homes across Australia. This work includes promoting clean water and soil retention through effective sediment controls and waterway setbacks in place around our plantations.

Our forestry team are also responsible for ensuring that growing and harvest operations align with neighbouring farms to manage weeds, pests and invasive species. Where we have land that isn’t suitable for plantations, we encourage the growth of native vegetation to bring biodiversity to our forests.

After harvesting, we replant our forests to sustain the carbon cycle our business relies on. Boosting the total area of the world’s forests could store around one-quarter of the atmospheric carbon necessary to avoid dangerous levels of global warming. Plantation forests have an important role to play in this given the rapid rate at which they absorb carbon. We are actively exploring new ways to enhance carbon storage in our plantations.

Our Process

When a harvested log enters one of our mills, we aim to convert as much as possible into long-lived timber products, designed to be used in walls, floors or roofs in homes across Australia for many decades to come. We continue to invest in optimisation software and technology and improve our processes to maximise long-lived timber products from each log we process. Additionally, we have a dedicated team supporting our customers in using timber more efficiently. 

Exposure and vulnerability to fires is a key environmental risk for AKD. As such, we take fire prevention and preparedness very seriously. To mitigate this risk, we maintain fire breaks and water access points, utilise remote fire detection software, and coordinate the use of aircraft, fire tankers, and heavy machinery during fire events. As a Country Fire Authority Forest Industry Brigade, AKD has trained firefighters within our business. We also liaise closely with other fire response agencies, such as Forest Fire Management Victoria and the Green Triangle Fire Alliance, enabling a unified effort to plan for and mitigate fire risk to our assets, people or nearby communities.

AKD manufactures some products that have been treated with preservation chemicals. These products are safe for humans to be around and are resistant to decay and termites, which greatly prolongs their lifespan. But timber preservation chemicals can be detrimental if released into environment and AKD are required to adhere to several regulations and standards that regulate the delivery, storage, use and disposal of chemicals and chemical wastes. AKD takes this responsibility seriously and invests in the training, controls and monitoring required to ensure we fulfill these requirements.  

Our Community

We care about the health, wellbeing and prosperity of our employees, neighbours and customers. Care for our community is embodied in our core pillars and way of operating.  

You might see one of more than 70 AKD apprentices and graduates down your local street, and our in-roads into gender equality are bringing more women into the previously male-dominated worlds of forestry and wood processing.

We embrace a continual improvement approach to safety and wellbeing across our sites and invest in the professional and personal development of our people. Additionally, we actively engage with schools, councils and other workplaces in our local towns, while also supporting and participating in local sports and community initiatives and events.