Forest industry sidestreams utilized to make construction products with a higher value added

The materials technology startup Fiberwood Oy takes the wood fibre in surplus streams from the forest industry to develop into construction and packaging materials.

Built environment is the source of about 42 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Some of these are due to the manufacturing processes of rock and glass wool. Established in 2019, the Fiberwood company became operative in 2022, and has developed a production technology to process sawdust and fibre materials, for example, into insulation materials, acoustic panels and packaging materials. The aim is not only to replace mineral- and plastic-based materials, but also to find completely new uses for the company’s products.

The conventional practice is to burn forest industry sidestreams and biomass for energy. Fiberwood is among the companies that use them more sustainably and economically, to make products with a higher value added.

The materials developed by Fiberwood form a storage for the atmospheric carbon sequestered in wood for the life span of the products made from these materials. After use, the products can be recycled to make new panels or used in soil improvement. The company aims at promoting fossil-free construction activity based on renewable natural resources, pointing the way to a more sustainable construction industry. At the moment, Fiberwood is constructing a demo production line and a R&D centre in Järvenpää near Helsinki, and continues to develop its products in collaboration with several actors from Finland and abroad.

Innovations based on wood fibre can significantly boost the value added and price per weight unit of the forest industry exports.

Fiberwood aims at increasing the current average value of each kilogram of exported weight, from the current rate of less than one euro to two or three euros. According to the company, this could award up to three times the current financial gain with a smaller volume of wood, while also easing the pressures related to wood availability.