Familiar everyday products and new innovations from the forest

We use wood-based products daily. At the same time, the forest industry is constantly developing new everyday goods that can replace products made from fossil raw materials. Wood is a versatile raw material, with its main advantages being renewability and recyclability. Innovations in the forest industry are paving the way toward a more sustainable future.

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  © Stora Enso

  Paperboard and packaging materials

  Paperboard is one of Finland’s most significant export products, produced on a large scale by the paper industry. Wood is processed into pulp, which is then used to make paper and cardboard products, such as packaging, sold domestically and exported abroad.

  Cellulose fibre is also used to produce foam material, which replaces fossil-based foams in protective packaging and cushioning materials.

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  © Metsä Group

  Papers and tissue papers

  Pulp is used to make paper, which can take many forms. Common tissue papers, such as toilet paper and tissues, are essential for meeting basic daily needs. They ensure hygiene and health, as well as provide comfort and well-being. Tissue paper is made from virgin fibre (pulp) and recycled fibre. Wood fibre circulates in the Western economy 5–7 times in different wood products: for example, from fine paper to newsprint and paperboard, and finally to toilet paper. For hygiene products like tissue papers, clean virgin fibre is a good raw material, as it does not require the thorough cleaning that recycled paper does.

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  © Versowood

  Wood construction

  Wood is an excellent building material. Its recognized advantages include versatility, acoustics, and air quality. The use of wood reduces the carbon footprint of construction when considering the entire lifecycle of a building. Wood can serve as a carbon store in buildings for centuries.

  Wood products are suitable for almost all new and renovation construction. Wooden structures can be used for various purposes, from apartment buildings to hall structures and bridges. In addition to structures, the most common uses for wood products are windows and doors, interior design, and furniture.

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  © UPM

  Wood-based chemicals and biofuels

  Wood-based chemicals are renewable raw materials made from wood, replacing fossil chemicals in many products. These include turpentine, tall oil, pitch, and lignin. They are widely used as biochemicals, in the manufacture of fragrances, cleaning agents, adhesives, paint bases, and as plastic substitutes.

  In Finland, wood-based diesel is also produced from crude tall oil, a by-product of pulp production. Biofuel made from forest industry residues does not compete with food production for raw materials. UPM produces bio-based diesel in Lappeenranta.

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  © Metsä Group

  Wood-based textile fibres

  Cellulose-based textile fibres developed in Finland offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to water-intensive cotton or fossil-based synthetic fibres such as polyester. The production of wood-based textile fibre utilizes raw materials sustainably and responsibly.

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  © Woodio

  Washbasins and bathroom furniture

  Many materials in our homes are traditionally wood. We have wooden tables, ceiling panels, and perhaps parquet floors, but even a washbasin can be made of wood. Fully waterproof wood composite is an ecological alternative to ceramics and stone materials. For example, wood chips can be used to make wood composite material that is well-suited for bathroom furniture.

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  © Stora Enso

  Moulded fibre packaging

  Biodegradable disposable dishes are replacing those previously made of plastic. Moulded fibre is used for various purposes, including disposable food packaging such as cups, bowls, clamshell containers, plates, and lids.

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  © The Coca-Cola Company

  PET bottles from wood

  Wood can be used to produce biomaterials that replace plastic, for example, in bottles. In practice, almost all plastic packaging used in everyday life could already be replaced with wood-based, and thus more ecological, solutions that increase recyclability and reduce microplastics and the carbon footprint of products.