Forest Week 2024: Celebrating Sustainable Play

Across the UK, thousands of businesses and influential people will be taking part in celebrating Forest Week 2024 during the week of September 21st to the 27th!

Designed to raise awareness about the crucial role forests play in our environment and daily lives, the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) hope that the week will help drive consumer awareness about the importance of responsible forestry and inspiring them to act by choosing FSC certified products.

At Pentagon Play, we want to help make our customers aware of sustainable forestry and explain what steps we take to ensure that our products are made in the most sustainable ways possible.

The Importance of Forests

Forests play a vital role in our lives, providing numerous benefits that are essential for both humans and wildlife. Forests help with:

• Oxygen production and carbon sequestration
• Biodiversity
• Water regulation
• Soil protection
• Improving mental and physical health
• Encouraging recreation and tourism

It's safe to say that forests are hugely beneficial for life here on planet! Forests also provide us the chance to harvest one of the most versatile materials on earth, wood.

Wood allows us to create a wide spectrum of things, from a simple piece of paper to providing support to a house. Of course, wood also allows us to create a wide variety of exciting and engaging play equipment.

However, despite their importance, forests constantly face threats from deforestation, climate change and unsustainable land use practises. Due to this, forests are slowly disappearing across the world and with that, a few of the benefits they provide.

It's important that we are all aware of the importance of forests and how they are facing a never ending battle against a variety of foes. If we don't take action now, our children and future generations won't be able to experience a good quality of life and will possibly live in a world where forests are a rare commodity.

Knowing the importance of these factor, Pentagon Play are committed to supporting the FSC and there quest to spread awareness of unsustainable harvesting of forests and how it's damaging our world. We hope that everyone in our industry shares our vision of saving forests so children can enjoy the joys of outdoor natural play in the future.

Pentagon Play's Commitment to Sustainability

In line with the spirit of Forest Week, Pentagon Play is showcasing its commitment to sustainability through highlighting a variety of processes and changes that have been implemented to help fight back against unsustainable practice and promoting awareness of forests.

The changes described in this article are being implemented for the long-term, meaning that these processes aren't just a one-off. Pentagon Play are dedicated to the cause and we will try everything we can to help spread the awareness of forests.

Sustainable Materials in Play Equipment

Recently, Pentagon Play have started to replace a lot of our old materials with more sustainable options. These new materials allow us to not only create durable and exciting play equipment, but to also lessen our impact on forests.

Every supplier we work with is asked to provide us evidence of their Forest Stewardship Council accreditation to ensure that all materials are gathered in a sustainable way. Discover the three main types of sustainable wood we use and how they help achieve our sustainability aims.

Accoya Wood

Our material upgrade to Accoya Wood caused shockwaves within the industry as we became the first play equipment company to utilise this fantastic material to craft some of our most durable and engaging pieces of play equipment.

Accoya wood is FSC certified timber, meaning that the forest in which the Radiata Pine tree (the tree that this wood comes from) is sustainably managed and each stage of the process is FSC certified. Due to this, you can be assured that any of our play equipment made from this material is sustainably sourced and helps fight against unsustainable practices.

Redwood Timber

In September 2024, Pentagon Play announced the material upgrade to Redwood Timber and explained how this new material would not only improve the quality of our outdoor structures, but would make our company more sustainable.

Our Redwood Timber supplier is fully FSC certified and harvests the Redwood Timber from sustainably managed forests in Scandinavia. These forests are constantly monitored to ensure that the harvesting process is not harming the environment and that trees are replanted to maintain an ecological balance.

Having a material that is sustainably sourced and provides a variety of benefits when it's used in play equipment makes this material a must have for our company.

Duraply

Sourced from sustainable, European Poplar plantations, our material upgrade to Duraply allowed us to create a wide variety of outdoor play equipment from sustainable materials.

Following responsible forest management and practices, our Duraply supplier is well recognised by the FSC and has implemented a variety of processes to make their impact on the environment as small as possible. From maintaining the biodiversity to minimising CO2 emissions, Duraply is a popular option amongst schools looking to have sustainably made play equipment.

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainability doesn't just stop with the product. At Pentagon Play, we have thoroughly reviewed our product packaging and located a few ways we can improve the sustainability of it.

Our process of locating our packaging suppliers has become a lot more strict as we now ask to see the relevant documentation to prove that the materials used were sourced sustainably, including FSC certification on the relevant packaging.

Each of our packaging suppliers are as committed as us to providing sustainable packaging solutions and will continue to locate new opportunities to further the sustainability of our products.

How Can Your School Celebrate Forest Week?

Forest Week should be celebrated by everyone around the world, especially schools. Holding the power to shape children's minds, schools can help educate their pupils on the seriousness of sustainable practice and why it's important for them to engage in it.

Not only will they learn more about the environment and the importance of forests, but they'll also be having fun! Forest Week can easily be implemented into your classroom by following these great tips.

1. Utilise Sustainable Equipment

Review the general equipment that you currently have and think about whether it's been sustainably sourced. By introducing sustainable equipment into your classroom, you're taking a great step in the right direction! Some ideas include:

• Using FSC certified paper
• Sustainable pencils
• Upcycled stationary holder (like cardboard tubes)
• Indoor furniture from a FSC certified supplier

These are just a few ways you can promote Forest Week by including more sustainable classroom objects. Surrounding your children with sustainable products will encourage them to ask questions and learn more about the topic.

Our Partnership with Millhouse introduced us to the world of sustainable indoor EYFS furniture, which is currently revolutionising the way schools can become more sustainable.

2. Surround Your Children With Nature

Why not take your children outside and teach them about the topic of sustainability in nature? Not only will they receive a multitude of benefits from learning outdoors, but they will find it easier to connect to the topic by seeing trees and nature up close.

Forest schools are a great way to introduce your children to the nature that surrounds them during lesson times. Based outside, children can sit among the trees as they take part in activities relating to sustainability. These activities will see a stronger engagement rate as children will already be thinking of nature due to being surrounded by it.

You could also decorate your outdoor play equipment to suit the theme of forests by covering a side in leaves and other foraging items. Not only does this provide a fantastic sensory play opportunity, but it helps children connect play time with nature and establish a strong personal connection to the world around them.

3. Base Lessons On Forests and Sustainability

Teachers often have to stick to curriculum, which can often make it hard for new and unique lessons to be introduced to the children. However, you can always incorporate Forest Week into pre-existing lessons!

For example, you could incorporate Forest Week into maths by assigning the children the role of a Forest manager. Teach them the topic of money and basic mathematical equations by having them run their own forest, deciding what elements to invest their money into to create a sustainable forest!

Or, perhaps introduce your children to sustainability through Science lessons. Talk about the growth cycle and life cycle of trees and how they can live for long periods of time. Maybe bring in objects like logs so children can count the rings of trees and learn about how they form!

The opportunities are truly endless as every subject can easily incorporate Forest Week into it's curriculum, allowing you to deliver an effective lesson whilst spreading awareness around sustainability.

4. Educate Staff and Parents

Children aren't the only ones who need educating on the topic of sustainability and how forests play such a vital role in everyday life. Parents and teachers may be unaware of a lot of factors that are associated with Forest Week, presenting you a chance to spread the word!

You could write a newsletter for your peers, explaining the importance of Forest Week and how everyone needs to set an example for their pupils. Maybe assign homework for your pupils which encourages them to work with their parents and learn more about sustainability together?

For change to occur, every generation needs to be aware of the impact that forests have on our world and how we can all work together to protect them from a variety of threats.

Save the World and the Nature of Play Today

Pentagon Play will always continue to support the FSC and implement new and innovative changes to uphold our reputation of being a sustainable playground equipment supplier!

Whilst we continue our work, why not join in the fun by introducing your children to the world of forests and sustainability during Forest Week! Let's aim for a world where there's forests for all forever.