Wood composite material halves carbon footprint of bathroom and kitchen tops
Uusi puu – The New Wood Project shows what wood can do. The project promotes wood-based innovations and provides information about them.
Woodio, known for its bathroom fixtures made of wood composite material, is expanding its production to sheet materials that offer an alternative to products based on ceramics or stone.
The Woodio material was developed as a more ecological alternative to materials based on ceramics or stone. The wood composite sheet can be worked to fit many different applications and interiors.
Made of wood composite, the sheet material is lightweight, easy-care and shock resistant. Thanks to being fully waterproof, the material is particularly suited to bathrooms and kitchens. Woodio is, in fact, known for its wash basins, bathtubs and toilet seats. Being resistant to wear and tear, it can also be used for shelving and worktops, as well as in outdoor spaces.
The wood composite patented by Woodio is made of wood chips and a resin-based binding agent. About 70 percent of the material volume consists of wood chips. These come from forests with either a PEFC or FSC certification, and consist of either aspen or forest industry sidestreams. Throughout its life span, the material acts as a carbon storage.
The Woodio material is worked with the same machinery and tools as other composite sheets, but it requires the same finishing as wood.
Thanks to its renewable raw material and the low-energy manufacturing process, the carbon footprint of the Woodio Solid sheet across its life span is calculated by the manufacturer to be 50 percent smaller than that of conventional worktop materials. At the end of its useful life, the material can be utilized as raw material in the cement production process.
’Our aim is to reach carbon negativity for our products during 2025. A crucial thing here is to increase the use of bio-based binding agents. In the near future, we will significantly increase the share of industry sidestreams as a source of chips, which will also support our climate and sustainability goals,’ the company reports.
The greenhouse emissions from the material’s production process are relatively low. The process does not require high temperatures, and the energy used comes from renewable sources. Water consumption is also small; in practice, water is only used in dyeing the wood chips. The process generates little wastage.
At the end of their life span, Woodio products can be returned to the company, which will forward the material for cement manufacturing, in collaboration with Kuusakoski Recycling. Woodio is constructing a new factory in Lahti, scheduled to be completed in spring 2025. This will enable a significant expansion of the production to meet the increasing demand.
