Absorbing the potential of wood waste in EU regions and industrial bio-based ecosystems is the objective of BIOREG, a Horizon 2020 project launched in 2017 with the aim to identify and unlock the potential of unused wood waste by promoting a full range of valorisation practices among European regions.
On the 12th of December 2019, in Brussels one of the BioRer partners – EUBIA, organized a stakeholder roundtable to present the outcomes of the BioReg project. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss with the stakeholders some key aspects of the wood waste management, with particular attention to the issue of common standards for classification.
During the first session of the meeting, BIOREG partners presented to the audience an overview of the project and its main takeaways with the following presentations:
Dominique Boulday (CEDEN): BIOREG, the first collaborative platform to increase the valorisation of wood wastes.
Ana Luisa Fernando (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa): Success factors for wood waste valorisation
After this introduction, both the project partners and the participants engaged in an open discussion on the main principles for efficient wood waste valorisation in the EU, the market trends, the needs and the opportunities of the sector, including both the use of wood waste for recycling and for energy.
The attendees represented the European Panel Federation, UNILIN, Wood Panel Industries Federation, Sonae Arauco, European Furniture Industries Confederation, Frati Luigi SpA, European Commission, UPM Kymmene, Employers & Industrialists federation – Cyprus.
The roundtable highlighted the need to valorize excess wood waste, aiming at 100% of re-use. Bioenergy and recycling are both solutions in this regard and they should live together without fighting. The best case scenario would be the effective adaption of the cascade system, fully compatible with the circular-economy principles.
The issue of harmonizing different classification systems for wood waste across Europe was discussed, pros and cons of these systems were thoroughly debated. However, this aspect will require further investigation and a wider engagement of stakeholders in the cross-industry debate. Lastly, the audience highlighted that the European single market should promote a fair competition and a level playing field for all market actors dealing with wood waste.
12 December 2019, Brussels, BioReg Roundtable
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