The third High-Level Meeting (HLM) of the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) concluded in Brussels on November 6 with the presentation of the Wood Policy Paper “A Wood-Based Circular Bioeconomy for a Sustainable Europe: Green Construction and Innovative Wood Solutions”.
The policy paper, representing the joint understanding of a sustainable wood policy towards a wood-based circular bioeconomy in Europe, provides a solid foundation for political decision-makers. It contains a joint commitment to an economically valuable, ecologically sensitive and socially responsible timber industry, which is a crucial piece in the mosaic for achieving climate targets.
WoodPoP brings together politicians and administrators as well as scientists and researchers around the same table. Its aim is to develop a common understanding of sustainable wood policy in Europe.
The HLM event, hosted by EU Member State Austria, saw 19 government representatives and 18 stakeholder organisations united behind the policy paper.
Representatives of Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Slovenia, took part alongside seven organisations including the European Panel Federation (EPF), which has been an active and formative member from the start in 2022.
WoodPoP already gathers 250 experts, 45 stakeholders and industry organisations from 27 countries discussing best practice on its platform.
The new policy paper, which can be viewed at https://lnkd.in/eQQXbjFZ promotes green construction and innovative wood solutions.
The EPF flagged up key takeaways for wood-based panels in the new policy paper’s calls to policy makers and relevant actors:
- To urgently make targeted policy to promote wood’s sustainable practices and to unlock the full potential of wood products in the market.
- To develop an environment that supports circular thinking, allowing the reuse and recycling of the relevant product system and its materials.
- To direct secondary wood to product uses following the cascading principle to maximise value-added and long-term carbon storage.
- To create enabling political, legal, financial, structural, and socioeconomic frameworks for sustainable integrated wood-based value chains.
- To support a sustainable wood policy at the pan-European level, meeting our needs today and in the future.
Other attendees at the event included from IUFRO – International Union of Forest Research Organizations, The European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (EOS and CEI-Bois), InnovaWood network and InnoRenew CoE. Sweden and Canada also offered strong support.
The next steps involve the Policy Paper being shared with policymakers, with WoodPoP continuing to advance the sustainable use of wood in groups on Governance, Building, Innovation, Communication and Skills.
WoodPoP, represents a sector that contributes more than 1 trillion euro of Gross Value Added, 7.1% of economic output and 17.5 million jobs to Europe. The platform boosts the role of wood to mitigate climate change and to support a clean, just and competitive transformation of Europe. It aims to strengthen the wood-based circular bioeconomy with a special focus on the construction sector.
Five technical working groups have started work: Governance, led by Austria; Building, led by Germany and Finland; Research and Innovation, led by Switzerland; Education and Training, led by Slovenia; and Communication and Information, led by the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, the following day on November 7, the Wood Policy and Innovation Conference brought together over 150 policymakers, EC staff, industry leaders, researchers, and academics to discuss the transformative role of the wood sector in Europe’s sustainable future.
The event showcased wood’s potential in climate action, from carbon sequestration and material circularity to fostering innovation, job creation, and regional development. WoodPop hosted a session on how public policies can support growing wood-based building. The session showcased national initiatives such as the Czech Wood Policy Programme, Austrian Wood Initiative, and Swiss Wood Resource Policy.
