WOOD CONSUMPTION IN EUROPE

The European Union (EU) accounts for approximately 5 % of the world’s forests and, contrary to what is happening in many other parts of the world, the forested area of the EU is slowly increasing. European forests are an important factor in mitigating climate change. Socio-economically, forests vary from small family holdings to state forests or to large estates owned by companies, but they also provide a wide range of ecosystem services, most of which are not recorded by economic accounts and statistics, such as carbon sequestration, protection of soil from erosion or providing opportunities for recreation.

Currently. 30% of the wood used in the EU comes from countries where illegal logging and partial deforestation is usual. In such a situation, certified forests, wood and products, combined with ecodesign and framed withing a circular economy can be considered as the most appropriate approach to deal with these issues.

In today’s market, environmentally-friendly products have a competitive advantage due to the emergence of consumers concerned about the environmental impact of their activities and goods they purchase. There is a trend in the market to buy certified products instead of noncertified products because some companies just deal with certified products. The trend started with the biggest actors, and the rest are following this path. At the end of 2019, approximately 97% of the wood used by IKEA was from sustainable sources.

Over the recent years, the sensitivity of world public opinion on the issues of sustainable forest management in light of climate change and the resulting impacts has increased. Forests provide several ecosystem services from timber and non-wood forest products to carbon sequestration and recreation for human well-being. Globally, the annual growth in area of certified forests has been quite constant. Well-managed forests have tremendous potential to contribute to sustainable development and to a greener economy.