News

EPF is in search for an experienced and dynamic Technical Adviser.

This is a newly created position reflecting our growing activity. If you have a solid technical background combined with excellent communication and organisational skills, please do not hesitate to apply.

The full vacancy advertisement with more details on the job profile, on what we offer and on how to apply is available here.

UPHOLDING THE INTERNAL MARKET

Last month, the Council of the European Union adopted the decision to extend anti-dumping (AD) duties on okoumé plywood imported into the EU from China. This decision came into force on 15 June 2023, one day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Okoumé plywood represents €150-200 million in product sales on the European market.

🔎 To better understand what this decision implies for the WBP industry, EPF asked for the expertise of

• EPF Senior Economist Mr Orifjon Abidov
• EPF Board Member and Chairman of the EPF Plywood Product Group Mr Mārtiņš Lācis

🔖 Full Interview

Brussels, 26 June 2023

On 21-23 June, the European Wood-based Panels Federation held its Annual General Meeting in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. EPF Iberian association ANFTA hosted the gatherings in majestic settings, combining both traditional and modern perspectives.

In association with UNEmadera and with the generous sponsorship of Dieffenbacher, Siempelkamp, BASF, Govi, AFRY, Huntsman and Berndorf Band, EPF proudly welcomed about 200 professionals and high-level guests from across Europe and beyond.

Final consolidated 2022 results

2022 production fell by 7.8 % compared to 2021 and final numbers come close to the pre-crisis levels of 2019. 2022 was a year characterised by a relatively strong first half, followed by a weaker second half, caused by softening user demand and falling consumer confidence, affecting construction, furniture, packaging and other markets.

The outlook 2023 remains challenging, but with healthy long-term prospects for the natural, sustainable, climate positive WBP industry.

Highlights from EPF’s 5 Strategic Directions

EPF was delighted to share 5 current advocacy highlights from its 5 SDs:

1. Heightened visibility of wood in New European Bauhaus (NEB)
2. Cascade use to be included in legislation for the first time (REDIII)
3. Increased political support for use of wood to rise from 45 % to > than 60 %
4. Successful outcome to projects ‘New Standard’ and ‘E1 Compulsory’ regulation
5. High level access coming from the Coalition for Circular Choices (4 million jobs in Europe)

Re-election

EPF’s General Assembly unanimously re-elected Mr Martin Brettenthaler, CEO of SWISS KRONO GROUP, for another 2-year term as Chairman.

‘A vital EPF is now needed more than ever: On the one hand, wood-based panels offer key solutions to the global fight against climate change – the most important societal and economic challenge of our time. On the other hand, our industry is under threat: Our raw material is contested by other, often subsidised user groups, regulation and red-tape on all levels is steadily increasing and as an energy-intensive industry with global competition we are especially exposed to the unrealistic energy policies in several European countries.’

The General Assembly also nominated two additional Members to the Managing Board:

Mr Baptiste de Sutter (Linex Panneaux, France)

Mr Jarosław Michniuk (Paged, Poland)

The next EPF AGM will take place on 19-21 June 2024 in Riga, Latvia, hosted by Latvijas Finieris.

For further information, please contact EPF Administration and Communications Officer:

Mrs Isabelle Henin

info@europanels.org

+32 2 556 25 89

EPF was thrilled to hold its Annual General meeting in Santiago de Compostela.

On 21-23 June, we welcomed about 200 professionals and high-level guests from across Europe and beyond.

The AGM, hosted by EPF Iberian member ANFTA followed its traditional schedule:

🔷 21 June: Managing Board meeting
🔷 22 June: Member meetings and General Assembly, followed by a Gala Dinner
🔷 23 June: Open Part conference, with a focus on New European Bauhaus

Programme – Open Part of the EPF AGM 2023 – 23 June 

Biography information on the moderators and speakers of the two roundtables

EPF Open Part Presentation – Key results and Advocacy Highlights

Press Release, 26 June 2023 

Report Open Part AGM – New European Bauhaus: How wood-based panels can bring beauty, sustainability and inclusivity to the built and living environment

We were delighted to exchange with many of you in Spain for this gathering of the European wood-based panels industry.

The Coalition for Circular Choices, launched on 28 March 2023, has outlined its vision and choices for the European bioeconomy’s future in an op-ed published by EURACTIV on Thursday 25 May.

• Choosing competitiveness and strategic autonomy
• Choosing to scale up the circular bioeconomy
• Choosing regenerative products and materials
• Choosing sustainable forests

Tuesday 28 March

A new group of 14 EU trade associations including the providers of high-quality wood-based products, fibre-based, paper and board products and packaging, and renewable energy solutions, supported by EU forest owners and managers, has today launched a cross-sectoral coalition. The coalition’s aim is to present EU policymakers with an ambitious common vision ahead of 2030 and, going beyond, one leading to a transition towards a circular bioeconomy.

Now, more than ever, is the time to embed into EU policy the circular bioeconomy as a fully integrated, resilient European value chain. The coalition has made publicly available a paper detailing common challenges, needs, and solutions [STRATEGIC DOCUMENT]. It is also supported by a further 6 associations linked to the forestry sector.

This is the broadest coalition yet representing these value chains. Jointly, its members represent 3% of the EU’s GDP, €520 billion in turnover, and 20% of its manufacturing companies. They are an integrated part of the EU bioeconomy, using local renewably-sourced materials, made and recycled in Europe, and using European technology. But their contribution could go much further. They hope to work with the EU institutions towards creating an enabling policy environment for their sectors to collectively reach climate change mitigation equivalent to 30% of EU annual CO2 emissions. In 2019, this figure stood at 20%.

The coalition’s ambition will require consolidating the EU’s global leadership as a provider of sustainable and competitive alternative solutions for today, and innovative opportunities for tomorrow. Europe’s wood and fibre-based value chains are widely considered a laboratory for the future circular bioeconomy.

In order to be climate neutral by 2050, the EU needs to work with the coalition to accelerate the uptake of bio-products, encourage investments in green technologies for production processes and supply chains, and support a shift towards sustainable consumption while putting in place policies to boost the competitiveness of sustainable manufacturing industries.

The competitiveness of the overall European industry has been impacted by the energy crunch and issues related to the supply of strategic raw materials. Wood-based products, fibre-based paper and board products and packaging, and renewable energy solutions offer resilience and ensure European strategic autonomy and competitiveness via the sustainable management of sources of valuable raw materials, and secondary raw materials and related technology.

Download the paper Circular Choices for a competitive EU Bioeconomy here.

As EPF Chairman Martin Brettenthaler stresses: ‘EPF is proud to be part of this coalition using nature-based products to help realise Europe’s goal of net-zero climate neutrality.  Wood-based panels are integral to this journey using sustainable materials for furniture, construction, packaging and in multiple everyday applications. As a European global champion in this field, we urge policy makers to work with us to place industry, especially the circular bioeconomy, at the heart of this social, economic and environmental transition’.

For further information, please contact EPF Administration and Communications Officer:

Mrs Isabelle Henin

info@europanels.org

+32 2 556 25 89

We are delighted to announce Isabelle Henin as the new Administration and Communications Officer at EPF. She took up her new role on Monday, 9th January 2023.

Isabelle is Belgian with an academic background in communications and in political science, with a focus on international relations. Her mother tongue is French, she speaks fluent English and German and she has a working knowledge of Dutch, Portuguese and Italian.

Isabelle joined EPF from the Acolad Group where she was Project Manager for linguistic services.  Prior to that she was Communication and Events Assistant at EESC, the European Economic and Social Committee, a European Union institution.

Previous roles and internships include working in the EPP President’s office and being elected Secretary General of Belgian Youth Diplomacy.

According to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre¹, in the EU only 45% of EU biomass goes to material use, with 55% used for bioenergy. At EPF we believe that at least 60% of this in-demand resource should be preferred for material applications, such as wood-based panels. In this respect, EPF believes it is of the utmost importance to reinforce the implementation of principles for cascading use of biomass, circularity, and resource efficiency.

The current energy crisis has critically underlined the necessity of scaling up the roll out of renewable energies. Indeed, the negative effects the energy crisis has on the energy prices and market disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further increases the pressure on woody biomass. It is of greatest importance that policy makers realise that burning wood is not the solution to Europe’s energy shortages. Providing state aid to support to further biomass energy developments distorts commercial markets and deprives material markets such as wood-based panels, paper industries and others of valuable material. As well as adding value to the wood material uses keep the carbon locked up in wood in some cases for many decades, after which it can either be recycled for another use phase or if not possible the energy can then be recovered. Wood is too valuable to squander by burning in the first instance.

In this respect, EPF calls for the necessity to maintain all references to the cascading principle and the waste hierarchy under Art.3 of the Directive. Enshrining the cascading principle is especially important given current supply chain difficulties and material shortages. The retention of the cascading use of wood in RED III, in line with the EC guiding principles of sustainability, resource efficiency, circularity, new products or markets, and subsidiarity is vital to avoid market distortions and ensure the security of supply of raw materials for the industry.

Furthermore, to meet the objectives of climate neutrality, it is important to enhance the sustainability criteria under Art.29 of the Directive to reduce early energy recovery, restore sustainable carbon cycles and increase carbon removals in circular and climate positive harvested wood products. It is essential that subsidies for bioenergy should not create market distortions for raw materials especially for woody biomass and prevent that high quality wood is diverted to energy markets, with associated negative impacts on resource efficiency, biodiversity and sustainable carbon sinks.

Therefore, EPF calls upon the negotiators to bear in mind the above when finalising trilogue negotiations. In the words of Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, founding director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and keynote speaker at the recent NEB Into The Woods conference held in the presence of EC President Mrs Ursula von der Leyen: “Currently in Europe we are burning 50% of the wood that is harvested. Wood is too precious to be burned. We are burning the book of life before we have studied it”.

7 December 2022

1 https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC128384

European Panel Federation

Rue Montoyer 24, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tel +32 2 556 25 89 – info@europanels.org – www.europanels.org

EU Transparency Register: 572064811767-22 – IBAN: BE33 4268 1660 1346 – VAT: BE 0464.722.149

Some 30 experts from EPF member companies gathered yesterday in Osoppo at FANTONI SPA to exchange experiences and discuss current practices on preventing fires and explosions to, ultimately, ensure the protection of the workers in the factories. This was the 4^th meeting of this important task force that previously took place at UNILIN in Belgium and SONAE ARAUCO in Portugal with an online meeting during the Covid19 pandemic.

Following interesting presentations, with case studies from the last 25 years by FANTONI, the group visited the impressive factory with specific attention for those areas where incidents had taken place although fortunately without any injuries or casualties. The discussions promoted before and during the visit contributed to a sound benchmark and valuable learnings on WBP industrial safety.

Participants unanimously elected Mr Jose António Rocha of SONAE ARAUCO as Chairman and Mr Koen De Backer of UNILIN as Vice-Chairman. Furthermore, the group was delighted to welcome the invitation from FINSA to host the next meeting in Iberia during Spring next year.