Diversification of the forest industries: role of new wood-based products

• Published in: Canadian journal of forest research Vol. 48; no. 12; pp. 1417 - 1432
• Main Authors: Hurmekoski, Elias, Jonsson, Ragnar, Korhonen, Jaana, Jänis, Janne, Mäkinen, Marko, Leskinen, Pekka, Hetemäki, Lauri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa NRC Research Press 01.12.2018; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: bioeconomy; Biofuels; Biomass energy; bioéconomie; byproducts; Canada; chaîne de valeur; competitiveness; compétitivité; Economic aspects; fabrics; feedstocks; Finland; Forecasts and trends; forest industry; Forestry; Forests; Global marketing; income; industrie forestière; Industry forecasts; market share; Markets; new products; new wood-based products; nouveaux produits du bois; Organic chemistry; Packaging; Plastic products; plastics; Polymers; Pulp & paper industry; pulp and paper industry; Revenue; roundwood; supply chain; Sweden; Textiles; United States; value chain; Wood; Wood products; world markets; Canada; United States > US; Sweden; United States; Finland
• ISSN: 0045-5067; 1208-6037; 1208-6037
• DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2018-0116

This study identifies new wood-based products with considerable potential and attractive markets, including textiles, liquid biofuels, platform chemicals, plastics, and packaging. We apply a mixed-methods review to examine how the position of the forest industry in a given value chain determines the respective production value. An assessment is provided as to the degree to which these emerging wood-based products could compensate for the foreseen decline of graphic paper markets in four major forest industry countries: USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. A 1%–2% market share in selected global markets implies a potential increase in revenues of 18–75 billion euros per annum in the four selected countries by 2030. This corresponds to 10%–43% of the production value of forest industries in 2016 and compares with a projected decline of graphic paper industry revenue of 5.5 billion euros by 2030. The respective impacts on wood use are manifold, as many of the new products utilize by-products as feedstock. The increase in primary wood use, which is almost entirely attributed to construction and to some extent textiles markets, would be in the range of 15–133 million m 3 , corresponding to 2%–21% of the current industrial roundwood use in the selected countries.