The European Forest-Based Industries have launched a joint strategy for sustainable forest management to meet EU climate goals by 2050.
The Forest-Based Industries (FBI), comprising representatives from the woodworking and furniture production, paper and printing, pulp and other fibres and bioenergy sectors, have developed an overarching vision of the ways in which societal needs will evolve by 2050 and policies the industries can implement to meet changing needs through sustainable management of resources. The strategy, which is supported by forest owners, farmers and contractors throughout the EU, aims to integrate emerging technologies into existing forest management practices while working to preserve the natural environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Patrizio Antonicoli, Secretary-General of the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-BOIS), said: “We see the FBI industry commitment as a good way to empower consumers, providing them with more options to choose climate-friendly products. Wood-based solutions enable already today many sectors to reduce their environmental footprint, including construction.”
As pressure grows on consumers and industries to move away from traditional fossil fuel-based material solutions, the industries anticipate an annual market growth for the sector of 3%. The group’s proposals for meeting sustainable goals include:
- Substituting sustainable forest-based energy sources for fossil fuels and other raw materials which produce high levels of CO2;
- Improving recycling efforts across the sector in order to reduce waste, setting a target of 70% of all European wood-based products which must be recycled by 2050; and
- Promoting efficiency of resources and increased productivity throughout the Forest-Based Industries.
Jori Ringman, Director General of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), said: “Our solutions are made of a material that comes from a renewable and natural resource: European forests. The EU’s sustainably managed forests produce today an overall climate mitigation impact amounting to 13% of European greenhouse gas emissions; and they keep on absorbing CO2.”
