WOOD IN ART AND THE EUROPEAN WOODWORKING SECTOR

Matti Mikkola (Chairman CEI-Bois)
Ladislaus Döry (President EPF - Vice-Chairman CEI-Bois)
Hannu Kasurinen (Chairman EOS)

We are pleased to thank Gaston Franco, MEP, chairman of the Club du Bois, for the renewed opportunity to inform the Members of the European Parliament and other European policy makers and institutions, by means of an exhibition inside the European Parliament, about the importance of the European woodworking sector and the benefits it offers to the EU as it seeks to meet its main climate and sustainability policy targets.
In fact, although six years have passed since we launched the 'Tackle climate change: use wood' slogan, such calls to action are more relevant than ever. With the effects of climate change becoming more and more visible to EU citizens, through major calamities across the globe such as the recent ravages of 'superstorm' Sandy in North America, attention needs to be constantly drawn to how an increased use of wood and wood-based products can help in mitigating the present alarming situation. In this context, we are pleased to note that the services of the European Commission and the European Parliament are working on implementing important decisions taken in Durban concerning the recognition of harvested wood products as carbon stores in greenhouse gas accounting schemes.

This exhibition puts forward wood-based art from well-known European contemporary artists as top quality examples of harvested wood products storing carbon for years, in fact for ever, we hope. They act as a point of attraction and encourage the visitor to learn more about how wood and wood products can be of immediate assistance in finding appropriate solutions to the myriad of challenges faced by society today.
Did you know, for instance, that:
- 1 m3 of wood stores about 1 tonne of carbon?
- If we use 10% more wooden houses in Europe, 25% of the Kyoto targets concerning CO2 reduction would be realised?
- Forests are growing in Europe? Over the last 20 years, the forest area has expanded in all European regions, gaining 0.8 million hectares each year. Over the same period (20 years) the total growing stock of forests in Europe has increased by 8.6 billion m3, equivalent to the total combined growing stock of France, Germany and Poland.
- Of all building materials, wood has the best carbon balance?
- Wood products have an eco-efficient life cycle and can be repaired, reused, recycled and finally recovered as energy? When the products are burned at the end of their life cycle, CO2 is released back into the atmosphere. This means that wood is carbon neutral, having a 'zero' carbon footprint.
- The manufacturing of materials for a wooden building uses 28% less primary energy and emits 45% less carbon than the manufacturing of materials for a similar concrete building?
The subtitle 'Plant a second forest' refers to a 'second forest' of harvested wood products which we could 'plant' in our cities, villages and homes by using substantially more wood products. As these products continue storing carbon throughout their serviceable life, they are in fact counterparts to forests storing carbon in the trees. We hope that this exhibition and related catalogue will give you a better insight into the European woodworking sector, the role and importance of using wood and wood products and the solutions they offer. In this context, the European Woodworking Industries look forward to a continuous open dialogue with all stakeholders in order to use the benefits offered by wood and wood products to a greater and greater extent. Wood: the solution!

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A PROVIDER OF WELFARE IN EUROPE

NEARLY 2.1 MILLION JOBS AND WORTH MORE THAN 201 BILLION EUR IN 2010

In 2010, the woodworking industry provided jobs to nearly 2.1 million people in the 27 EU countries (EU 27). In common with all traditional industries, it plays an important part in achieving the EU goal of becoming the world's most competitive region. The woodworking industry is a major employer in many of the Member States of the European Union and features among the top three industries in Austria, Finland, Portugal and Sweden.

A DRIVING FORCE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

In 2010, the production value of the EU 27 woodworking industries totalled more than 201 000 million EUR. More than half of this was accounted for by the woodworking sector, representing 109 500 million EUR. EU manufacturing is dominated by Germany and Italy. France comes in third position at some distance from the leaders, closely followed by the United Kingdom, Spain and Poland. In 2010, the strongest growth rates of production value were recorded in Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and the United Kingdom.

A CONTRIBUTOR TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Companies are often located in remote, less industrialised or developed areas, making an important contribution to the rural economy.
A diversified industry
The industry covers a wide range of activities, from sawmilling, planing and pressure treating to the production of wood-based panels, veneer and boards; from construction products to joinery; from pallets and packaging to furniture.