Use, Re-use, Recycle is at the core of what we do.
Thanks to the innovative techniques of the wood-based panel industry, it is now possible to turn elements of what was discarded in the manufacturing process, as well as waste wood in general, into high quality products.
Members of the European Panel Federation are committed to ensure efficient and optimal use of wood-based materials, in line with the principle of the “cascading use” of wood. Our industry seeks to keep wood in the material and economic cycle if possible. Whilst not all panels can use recycled wood, particleboard in particular is ideally suited to the use of recovered wood as a raw material.
Cascade: “The efficient utilisation of resources by using residues and recycled materials for material use to extend total biomass availability within a given system”
European Commission Study on Cascade (2016)
In July 2017, members of the European Panel Federation (EPF) signed the Venice Declaration together with the European Furniture Industries Confederation (EFIC).
This agreement sets out a core set of principles for the Circular Economy, charting a course for the continued contribution of the wood-based panel industry in Europe. At the same time, it also allowed for ongoing dialogue on the issue of converting biomass waste to energy at the end of its material life.
The Venice Declaration was presented during the 2016 EPF Annual Meeting by MEP Simona Bonafè, (S&D, Italy).
