Bioeconomy, Cei-Bois: “Urges EU to secure raw material supply first”

The European wood industry is calling on the European Union to ensure stable, long-term access to forest raw materials as a precondition for any bioeconomy strategy. This was the message delivered in Vienna during the international “Coli” event dedicated to the forest-based bioeconomy, where ministers and policymakers discussed the sector’s contribution to climate neutrality.

During the initiative, industry organisations reiterated that the substitution of fossil-based and non-renewable materials with wood products is already underway in the construction, manufacturing and consumer goods sectors. However, to scale up these efforts – they argue – research support alone is not enough: a coherent, market-oriented regulatory framework grounded in “industrial reality” is needed, one that primarily takes into account the actual availability of timber.

The central issue is supply. According to the sector, the development of the bioeconomy cannot move forward without strengthening wood mobilisation in Europe, in compliance with national systems of sustainable forest management. Companies are calling for a non-discriminatory approach that integrates primary and secondary resources and places competitiveness at its core, while avoiding disproportionate new administrative burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The document released alongside the event also calls for closer coordination between the European bioeconomy strategy and housing policies, so that bio-based materials are properly recognised in standards and in building life-cycle assessments. Among the requests is also the recognition of renewability, alongside recyclability and reusability, in European circular economy legislation

“If Europe is serious about building a competitive and climate-neutral bioeconomy, it must first secure a stable raw material base,” said Silvia Melegari, Secretary General of Cei-Bois and Eos, pointing to increased wood mobilisation and reliable access to forest resources as the “… number one priority to replace fossil-intensive materials.”

Cei-Bois represents more than 160,000 companies in the European wood sector, with an annual turnover of €194 billion and around 930,000 employees, while Eos brings together the sawmilling sector, which accounts for approximately 77 per cent of total European sawn wood production.

The discussion launched in Vienna comes within the broader review process of the EU bioeconomy strategy, at a time when competition for forest resources and regulatory pressure remain open issues.