From waste to value: the European wood-based panel sector accelerates

The European wood-based panel sector is accelerating its shift toward circularity, focusing on advanced recycling technologies to turn waste into high-value resources. In this context, the EcoReFibre project highlights the growing role of innovation – including digital innovation – in developing new business models and creating markets for secondary raw materials. Evidence presented in Brussels during the “EcoReFibre Policy Conference” – which brought together over 70 experts – confirms that a targeted European regulatory framework can support investment, research and competitiveness, while also contributing to emissions reduction and strengthening the circular bioeconomy.

On March 25, 2026, the conference “Unlocking Circularity and Market Potential from Wood Waste” gathered institutional, industrial and civil society stakeholders in Brussels, hosted by the European Panel Federation (EPF) and the InnovaWood network, together with the EcoReFibre consortium. The event presented the results of the European project and provided a platform for discussion to further develop and strengthen the recommendations of the EcoReFibre policy roadmap in support of the wood sector, the circular economy and the bioeconomy. The goal is to promote wider adoption of innovative circular technologies and business models for valorizing wood waste and scaling them at regional and national levels. Europe has a unique opportunity to position the forest-based sector at the heart of the circular bioeconomy.

During the afternoon workshops, participants were invited to share perspectives and contribute to the co-design of actionable policy recommendations and research priorities. The collected inputs will feed into a report to be submitted to the European Commission as a contribution to the future Circular Economy Act.

BACKGROUND
Europe aims to lead the transition to a circular economy, strengthening resilience and competitiveness while reducing emissions and environmental impacts, in line with the Bioeconomy Strategy (November 2025) and the upcoming Circular Economy Act (expected in September 2026). In the European Union, around 47 million tonnes of wood waste are generated (2022 data), but only about 40% is recycled, while the remaining 60% is used for energy recovery.

The EcoReFibre project, funded with €12 million under the Horizon Europe programme (2022–2026), involves 20 partners from 7 countries and is coordinated by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Five industrial pilot projects demonstrate how circular approaches and innovative technologies supported by digital tools can ensure the availability of secondary raw materials. Activities include the selection and extraction of wood fibres and their transformation into value-added products such as fibreboards, insulation materials, particleboards and biocomposites. The results show that recycling fibreboards from wood waste is technically and economically viable at an industrial scale.

The challenge now is to increase the availability of high-quality waste on a large scale and to develop circular business models and markets, strengthening the role of the European panel industry. The EcoReFibre strategic roadmap identifies critical issues, enabling factors and barriers, proposing policy and research recommendations to unlock the circular potential of wood in Europe.