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Over the last decade, plastic waste has more than doubled to 353 million tonnes in 2019, according to the OECD Global Plastic Outlook. It is clear to governments, businesses and citizens that something must be done now to slow down this alarming development. Source: Timberbiz As part of the global effort to reduce plastic waste, UPM Plywood has introduced a new wrapping for WISA birch panels that are packaged on pallets using transparent plastic film, wood, cardboard and paper labels. Spruce plywood sheets, used mainly in construction and non-visual applications, are simply bound together using plastic straps, already containing 98% recycled plastic. All the packaging materials used for WISA plywood can be recycled or re-used. WISA birch plywood will be wrapped and shipped in partially recycled plastic. The new packaging material is made of 30% post-industrial plastic, recovered from waste generated during manufacturing processes. Not only does it reduce the carbon footprint of UPM Plywood and its customers, but it also saves customers money, as they do not have to pay plastic taxes. In the UK, a plastic packaging tax has been in place since 1 April 2022, and the EU is preparing a similar duty. “Partially recycled plastic packaging is important to the UK customers, as they won’t have to pay tax on it. It simplifies the process and saves them money,” explains UK Sales Manager Joan Bailey. According to the British rules, plastic packaging tax is applicable for plastic packaging components manufactured or imported into the UK where the recycled content is less than 30%. Applicable taxes can be over £200/tonne. “The customers I’ve talked to are pleased that this is happening because it helps them in their calculations and reduces their tax burden. It is also welcomed and valued by customers operating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) business models,” Ms Bailey said. On its journey from the mill to the customer, a plywood pallet goes through a lot of handling. The plastic wrapping protects the product from, for example, moisture, but it also protects the people handling the two-tonne pallets at warehouses and ports. “If the packaging isn’t strong enough, these heavy pallets are a clear safety threat,” says Senior Buyer Sari Saari. She has, in co-operation with Senior Specialist Katri Karvinen and experts at UPM’s plywood mills, been responsible for testing the partially recycled plastic packaging. Puncture resistance and durability during lifting are among the important requirements that have been tested in real-life scenarios, for instance in tilting tests, where a forklift throws a pallet around to make sure that the plastic can withstand rough handling. “The wrapping’s most important task is to protect the product and keep it together. It is also important that the partially recycled plastic can be used on the automated packaging lines at the mills without complications,” Karvinen explains. UPM Savonlinna Plywood Mill has already started using the new plastic. Thanks to successful tests, UPM Joensuu Plywood Mill will start using the new wrapping material soon too. The aim is that all UPM Plywood mills will be using at least 30% recycled plastic by the end of 2024. Although the testing process has been time-consuming, it has been surprisingly smooth. With the necessary processes in place, growing the recyclable content will be easier in the future. The new packaging saves natural resources and energy. It reduces carbon emissions and waste while promoting circular economy principles. The math behind the emission reductions is pretty straightforward: Using 30% recycled plastic saves roughly 30% CO2 equivalent emissions.

At this year’s PEFC Forest Forum in Paris, five engaging speakers discussed the future of forests in policy, the benefits of forest certification for responsible businesses, and the need to align demand-side expectations with those of forest owners globally. Source: Timberbiz “With issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change becoming the centre of public policy and private sector concerns, sustainable forest management and forest certification have become more important than ever,” said PEFC’s Head of Advocacy, Thorsten Arndt. Adrian Leip from the European Commission opened the floor with a comprehensive overview of the EU Bioeconomy strategy, emphasizing its evolution and role in fostering a sustainable transition. He underscored the importance of forests in the bioeconomy and the need for sustainable forest management to balance economic and ecological objectives. “The core principle of sustainable forest management is to cherish its multi-functionality. This is a central element in the new EU Forestry Strategy for 2030,” he explained. “Forest owners and managers need to provide wood and non-wood renewable raw materials, but they also need to provide ecosystem services.” Caroline Duhesme from ATIBT emphasized the significance of forest certification for local communities in the Congo Basin. Certified companies help ensuring basic livelihood needs, such as access to education, healthcare, and community resources. “In the forest and wood sector, there is a lot of professional training and skills transfer, which is a lever to make these very remote areas able to develop,” she explained. She called for deeper integration of social requirements in certification standards and collaboration to improve livelihood conditions. “Certification is clearly the best tool to implement and to enhance all the social needs, social requirements, livelihood needs of the local community. But we can do more.” Luc Bouvarel, Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), discussed the impact of recent European Commission legislation on forest management, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for forest owners. He stressed the importance of collaboration, recognition of PEFC certification, and the adaptation of legislation to local contexts. “We hope that PEFC certification remains simple and feasible, taking into account local specificity, so it can be chosen by as many owners as possible, supporting and reinforcing the accuracy of our actions in meeting society’s expectations regarding forest and wood material.” Sheam Satkuru, from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) emphasized the im-portance of certification for future-proof sustainable supply chains and advocated for a bot-tom-up approach to certification, especially in tropical regions. She highlighted the relevance of certification schemes like PEFC in contributing to international processes. “Forest certification and the timber and wood industry meet practically all 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” she pointed out. “I don’t think there is even a single one that forest certification and the forest industry do not touch.” Thomas Haußmann from Forest Europe underscored the importance of sustainable forest management in addressing societal demands and challenges such as climate change. He high-lighted the need for effective communication and proposed collaboration between Forest Eu-rope and PEFC in developing criteria and indicators. “I like your statement that one size does not fit all,” he said. “Looking at our continent, which is so diverse and beautiful with many different forests, we should really look for a local approach, as you do with PEFC and forest owners.” During the Q&A session, attendees asked questions on various aspects of sustainable forest management, policy dialogue, certification, and international cooperation. “We believe at PEFC that we can play a strong role in facilitating dialogue and collaboration between global leaders, communities and people on the ground,” said the EU Representative Maja Drča. “To make an impact, we need to come up with collective actions and innovative solutions that will help address the many challenges our forests face today and even more in the future.”

As global environmental concerns escalate, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is at the forefront of promoting various aspects of restoring degraded lands on a global scale, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Source: Timberbiz This critical effort was highlighted during the webinar “Restoration for a Better Environment,” held on World Environment Day in June. An information brief titled “Fostering Linkages Between Sustainable Wood Supply and Forest and Landscape Restoration in the Asia-Pacific,”, was launched during the webinar. As per the brief, the concurrent pursuit of Sustainable Wood Supply (SWS) and Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) in the region represents an important imperative. The brief highlighted the opportunities for enhancing sustainable wood supply from restoring degraded lands involving planted forests, as well as agroforestry systems while also safeguarding biodiversity, mitigating climate change impacts, and ensuring long-term environmental resilience. This also aligns with this year’s World Environment Day’s theme, “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”. The webinar brought together more than 150 participants and speakers from seven member nations and nine partner organizations. The representatives from member nations focused on FLR opportunities and ongoing activities while the partners focused on innovative approaches and value chains. National perspectives from the youth were shared as well from three countries. Advancing restoration initiatives is crucial for fostering a better environment, one of FAO’s Four Betters’ aspirations under FAO’s Strategic Framework for 2022–2031. Shengyao Tang, the representative and head of the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Korea expressed FAO Country Office’s commitment to continue collaboration with partners and sharing the country’s advanced reforestation techniques with developing countries, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and biodiversity enhancement. “The SWS-FLR information brief summarizes the highly informative deliberations of a Regional Dialogue on Integrating Sustainable Wood Supply and Forest and Landscape Restoration in Asia-Pacific, held in October 2023 in conjunction with the 30th Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC),” stated Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, FAO’s Senior Forestry Officer and APFC Secretary. FAO and 25 partners are shaping a programmatic framework “Re-storing and Sustaining Landscapes Together Asia (RESULT Asia)”, which aims to support countries in restoring at least 100 million hectares of landscapes in Asia. “This aligns with the Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy and Action Plan for Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030”, said Illias Animon, FAO Forestry Officer and FLR focal person in the Asia-Pacific. With the increased awareness of restoration, it is essential to prioritize and support FLR- related initiatives on the ground through more coordinated programmatic approaches, benefiting both present and future generations.