AKD has a new licensee relationship with the Australian Made Campaign.
Long one of the country’s biggest promoters of sustainably grown timber for a huge range of end uses, AKD is now using the Australian Made logo to celebrate the fact its products are Australian-grown and processed.
It’s a natural partnership: the iconic green and gold logo is Australia’s most recognised and trusted certification trademark for country of origin. Since 1999, the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo has made it easy for consumers to identify genuine local product and the Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL) now has over 2700 companies registered to use the logo on over 20,000 products, with AKD pioneering its use in the timber sector.
AKD’s radiata pine products are grown on over 9000ha of plantations in Victoria and South Australia. Additionally, the company has Australian ownership and 100% local manufacturing in regional Australia, employing over 1200 people.
Christine Briggs, AKD’s marketing manager, said, “At a time when there is more product stewardship and governance required for all products, but especially a focus on building products, we see AKD’s co-branding with the Australian Made, Australian Grown brand symbolising quality assurance for Australian building conditions, but also promoting an important product category that is grown and manufactured sustainably in Australia.”
While this logo only concentrates on country of origin, AKD’s range of structural products is also certified under the EWPAA Plantation Timber Certification Scheme and audited by the EWPAA every six months. So there’s more to trust than just where it came from.
However, in a market that has seen a large growth in imported product in recent decades, many purchasers do prefer to buy Australian, and the logo makes that easier.
“Buying Australian Made products helps to create Aussie jobs and strengthens our local manufacturing, agricultural industries, communities and economy. The Australian Made logo helps buyers identify genuine Aussie products, which are known for their high standard of manufacture, reliability and quality,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro said.
In addition to consumer choice, the rigorous certifications required by the AMCL mean that AKD products will more easily meet requirements for construction projects and government tenders may specify Australian-made preferences.
For more, visit www.akd.com.au or www.australianmade.com.au
