New Sydney Metro Northwest Stations Built Using 100% Responsibly Sourced Timber

Metro station canopies and multi-story parking façades recently completed as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project have been constructed with 100% responsibly sourced timber, according to certification body SCS Global Services (SCS).

The wood used at seven stations has been certified by SCS under Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Responsible Wood (RW) Chain of Custody Project Standards, and one additional station has been certified with a Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Partial Project Certificate.

Additionally, the timber used on four multi-story parking structures, with space for more than 4,000 vehicles, has also been certified as responsibly sourced under the PEFC and RW Project Standards.

The Sydney Metro Northwest project is the first project of its kind to earn a responsible timber project certification. Transit operations commenced within the system on May 26, 2019.

The principal contractors, John Holland and CPB Contractors as part of the Northwest Rapid Transit Consortium’s Infrastructure Joint Venture, sourced timber from FSC and Responsible Wood certified forests in New South Wales. They also tracked the material through the primary saw mills and timber wholesalers to the fabricators and installers of the timber batten ceilings and façades: Brighton Ceilings Pty Ltd and Foxville Projects Group (NSW) Pty Ltd.

SCS Global Services conducted the certification assessments under the PEFC/RW and FSC standards. Independent, third-party certification ensures that timber comes from responsibly managed forests, and that transparency has been maintained throughout the supply chain. Since the first FSC project in Australia in 2010, SCS has certified all FSC and or PEFC/RW projects in Australia.

John Holland Sustainability Manager Thirukumaran Jallendran said:

“The Sydney Metro Northwest project is a milestone for Australia, and we are proud that it reflects the country’s responsible sourcing goals. It was a complex undertaking, and it is very rewarding to see it completed. SCS helped ease the certification process and enabled us to be the first to achieve a project certification of this magnitude. We hope to set the precedent that project certification is a significant and worthwhile endeavor for other Australian projects.”

SCS Global Services Lead Auditor Nick Capobianco said:

“Projects of this scale and profile are key to driving change in supply chains and educating stakeholders, suppliers and the general public about sourcing responsible forest products. Third-party certification was essential for this large-scale project to meet Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia rating tool requirements as it enabled Sydney Metro to demonstrate responsibly sourced timber with a backed guarantee from SCS’ audits. SCS conducted multiple assessments over the course of the project to confirm only responsibly sourced timber was purchased and used on the project. SCS congratulates John Holland, CPB Contractors, and Sydney Metro on their successful project certifications, and we are proud to have this public project exemplify the conscientious use of our forests.”

Responsible Wood CEO Simon Dorries said:

“Responsible Wood, the Australian Governing Body for PEFC, congratulates NSW Transport and the Northwest Rapid Transit Consortium’s Infrastructure Joint Venture (NRT Infrastructure JV) for their commitment to achieve project certification. When it comes to the building and construction industry, project certification represents the high watermark for forest certification. To achieve PEFC and Responsible Wood project certification, and to be the pioneer in the Australian marketplace, for such a large and complex project is a testament to the commitment by NSW Transport and NRT Infrastructure JV to support responsible forestry.”

Forest Stewardship Council Australia CEO Sara Gipton said:

“FSC Australia congratulates the Sydney Metro Northwest Project for demonstrating the use of responsibly sourced timber through FSC partial project certification. By choosing FSC certified timber Sydney Metro Northwest are upholding the highest standard for forest certification and helping to ensure healthy forests, safe, decent jobs, and robust engagement with local communities and Indigenous Peoples. 

With the release of the Australian FSC Forest Stewardship Standard in 2018, we look forward to working with domestic forest managers to increase the supply of FSC certified timber so that projects seeking Australian FSC timber certified can achieve FSC Project Certification.”

About John Holland
By finding solutions to complex challenges and opportunities, we transform communities to make them easier to move around, more connected and better to live in. We work in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, offering services from infrastructure and property development to rail and building. We always go further in serving the needs of our customers, putting ourselves in their shoes and ensuring we deliver not only for them – but for their customers too. For us, it’s not about what we do, but why we do it and who will benefit. www.johnholland.com.au.
Contact: Alicia Wood, [email protected], +61 431183720

About CPB Contractors
CPB Contractors is the Australasian construction company of the CIMIC Group. For more information on CPB Contractors, visit: www.cpbcon.com.au. Contact: David Fox, [email protected], + 61 402 517 832

About Sydney Metro
Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project. This new standalone railway will deliver 31 metro stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail, revolutionising the way Australia’s biggest city travels. Metro means a new generation of world-class fast, safe and reliable trains easily connecting customers to where they want to go.  Customers won’t need timetables – they’ll just turn up and go with a train every four minutes in the peak. The first stage of Sydney Metro, the North West Line, opened to customers on 26 May 2019. For more information, visit: www.sydneymetro.info. Contact: Natalie Calderwood, Acting Principal Manager, Public Affairs, [email protected], +61 466 494 073

About SCS Global Services
SCS is a trusted leader in third-party environmental, sustainability and food quality certification, auditing, testing and standards development. SCS works with companies, government agencies, and stakeholders worldwide to identify and drive practices, policies and processes that advance the goals of sustainable development and give innovators a competitive advantage. Its certification services and sustainability solutions span the natural resources, green building, energy, agricultural, and consumer products sectors, enabling policy-makers, purchasers, company decision-makers and consumers to make informed decisions based on the highest level of environmental, ethical and quality accountability. SCS, which stands for Scientific Certification Systems, is a Benefit Corporation. For more information, visit our website at www.scsglobalservices.com and follow us on Twitter at @SCScertified.
Contact: Alona Rivord, [email protected], +1.510.241.5617

About Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification/Responsible Wood
Responsible Wood is a not-for-profit standards development organization, committed to protecting and promoting Australia’s unique environments with standards that ensure a forest industry that is environmentally, socially, culturally and commercially sustainable. We pioneered the development of certification standards for wood and wood products sourced from sustainably managed forests in Australia. Our standards provide guidance and accountability for forest managers, manufacturers and suppliers. We manage the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme which is underpinned by two Australian Standards®: Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) and Chain of Custody for Forest Products (AS 4707). For more information about PEFC in Australia or PEFC project certification more generally please visit the Responsible Wood website: www.responsiblewood.org.au.
Contact: Jason Ross, [email protected], +61 7 3359 1758

About Forest Stewardship Council Australia
We are an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that works to promote the environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC develops best practice standards for responsible forest management according to our 10 principles and criteria. FSC certified forests have to meet our rigorous standards. This means FSC certified forests are healthy, and benefit local communities as well as providing jobs for workers. FSC certification tracks the wood from the forest to the shelf. So when you see the FSC label on a product, you can be sure that the paper or timer came from responsible sources. For more information on FSC Australia, visit: https://au.fsc.org/en-au.
Contact: Sanjeewani Pathirage, [email protected], +61 3 9005 0907