How we turn wood waste into high-quality panel material
Wood is one of our most valuable resources, not only because it is scarce but also because it stores CO₂. As long as we keep wood in circulation, that CO₂ stays out of the atmosphere. That is why we give every single wood chip a useful new purpose.
The value of recycled wood
For us, residual and recycled wood are every bit as valuable as ‘fresh’ wood. In fact, we prefer wood with a history. This is how we create high-quality panels with the lowest possible impact. As a manufacturer, it is our responsibility to use what nature gives us as efficiently as possible.
Giving wood a longer life
Recovered wood
All our panels consist of wood others can no longer use. Examples include scrap wood, thinnings or wood from roadside maintenance. These sources are within easy reach: we source locally, within a 210-mile radius.
Recycled wood
Our chipboards are largely made from wood that has already lived a full life. From old furniture to broken kitchens and pallets, we restore their value.
Did you know that in 2021 we developed a groundbreaking technology that has made MDF recyclable as well? This prevents precious raw materials from being incinerated at end of life.
In the future, we want to deploy our Osiris technology at all our MDF sites. The longer CO₂ remains stored in wood fibres, the more the planet benefits.”
Renewable raw materials
The fewer fossil-based materials, the better. Our panel material already consists of 85% renewable materials and we continue to look ahead: through innovations such as Fibralux Biobased and Verneo HPL we invest heavily in plant-based alternatives to the adhesives that bond wood fibers together.
When wood chips are genuinely too small to reuse, we give them a final life as renewable energy. In our own green energy plants, they are converted into heat and electricity, reducing waste while minimizing the use of fossil fuels.
Closing the loop together
A circular economy is not something we can achieve alone. Every link matters, from manufacturer to processor to customer. You can also make a difference. Explore our take-back programs for wood waste and contribute to a truly circular future.
Frequently asked questions about recycling
Is it really possible to make quality panels from waste wood?
Absolutely. Thanks to advanced sorting and cleaning facilities, the incoming wood is cleared of all impurities using a combination of techniques: magnets, wind sifters, centrifuges, infrared scanning, AI and more. These recovered materials then find their way to other industries to also be reused.
How does the MDF recycling technology work exactly?
You can compare its working to a pressure cooker. We start by moistening the MDF boards with steam, then we heat them and apply very high pressure. After that, we release the pressure, which helps to loosen the fibres. Once that’s done, we can reuse the recycled fibres to create new boards.
How often can you recycle a chipboard?
Theoretically, infinitely. But when recycling, you break the wood chips over and over again. Recycled chips also break more easily. The fractions are reduced again and again until they are no longer usable as raw material for chipboard. In this case, we recover these fractions as raw material for our power plants and convert them into green energy that we either consume ourselves or feed into the public electricity grid. That way, nothing goes to waste!
What are PESC and FSC
PEFC and FSC are the most familiar labels for sustainable wood. They are used worldwide to indicate that wood originates from sustainably managed forests or from recycling (wood that has been used before). PEFC includes pre-consumer and post-consumer wood, while FSC includes only post-consumer recycled wood.Our (melamine-faced) chipboard, MDF, HDF and HPL are available (on request) with an FSC or PEFC certificate. As a manufacturer that processes both FSC and PEFC mixed sourced wood into products, we have established due diligence systems to monitor the inflow of wood and bring controlled wood boards to the market. This means that a risk analysis is carried out of non-certified suppliers to ensure that no wood is delivered and ends up in our products that has come from controversial sources, such as primeval forests or through illegal logging.