David Hopkins - Chief Executive of Timber Development UK
Expert opinion: The impact of construction and buildings on the environment, decarbonisation of construction, the Government’s net-zero strategy, the impact of Government policy on net-zero targets (including the budget), the Housing Crisis, the UK Timber Industry Supply Chain, the use of timber in construction, the role of building materials in fire safety after Grenfell, the construction skills shortage.
A passionate campaigner for the decarbonisation of construction, industry and the economy for over 20 years, David Hopkins speaks on behalf of the £10bn UK Timber industry as head of Timber Development UK.
David is a former environment journalist and has written for the Times, Guardian, Independent and the BBC, as well as editing a number of trade and industry titles focused on utility and environmental markets. He is a former street entertainer and his first paid editorial work was writing bad jokes for “Roy Hudd’s News Huddlines” many years ago on Radio 4. These skills have proved invaluable in the construction sector.
Alongside his duties with Timber Development UK, David sits on the Government’s Timber in Construction Working Group, is a director of the Confederation of Timber Industries and is a former board member of the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA).
David co-founded Carbon Communications International in 2002, a clean-technology and environmental industries consultancy working with the London Stock Exchange and the World Bank. He is also a founding non-executive director of the low-carbon community charity Carbon-Leapfrog which provides pro-bono professional services for social enterprise.
In 2021, David launched the Tropical Timber Accord at COP26 with a coalition of tropical nation partners to tackle illegal deforestation.
[edit] About Timber Development UK
Timber Development UK has been formed from the merger of the two largest and longest-established organisations in the supply chain, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA).
Bringing these two associations together as one has created the largest, most comprehensive supply chain body in the UK, spanning from sawmill to specifier and all points in between.
As a single supply chain organisation we are seeking to:
- Connect the Supply chain
- Lead Best Practice
- Accelerate a low-carbon future
TDUK is the foremost UK organisation in terms of timber knowledge, publications, resources and expert guidance.
--Timber Development UK 11:07, 05 Apr 2023 (BST)