In late 2022, the European Union Hardwood Plywood Industry found itself facing a crisis. A surge of Chinese Hardwood Plywood imports, priced far below fair market value, threatened to undermine the viability of what it made. This dumping, a practice where goods are sold in a foreign market at a price lower than their production cost, was causing severe damage to the industry.

 

Determined to protect their livelihoods and the future of the Industry, several leading EU producers of Hardwood Plywood came together to form the Greenwood Consortium. Their mission: to initiate an anti-dumping investigation, a formal process under EU trade rules, to address the unfair trade practices they were facing.

 

Following months of diligent work, including gathering evidence and coordinating with other supporting producers, the Greenwood Consortium finalized and submitted a formal Anti-Dumping Complaint to the European Commission in September 2024. An Executive Summary of this formal Complaint can be found here. The Commission formally launched the investigation on Friday 11th October 2024, marking a crucial step in the fight to safeguard the EU industry.

 

Throughout the European Commission’s own investigation (AD717), the Greenwood Consortium has been fully cooperating with the Commission, providing detailed and comprehensive information to demonstrate the clear and significant dumping margins present in Chinese Hardwood Plywood imports. The evidence reveals how these imports are being sold at prices that are unfairly low, causing material injury to the Union's Hardwood plywood producers. 

 

Without effective counter-measures, such as anti-dumping duties, the European Union's Hardwood Plywood Industry faces a bleak future. The potential consequences are severe, including job losses, factory and mill closures, and reduced investment, particularly in rural areas. This Industry is vital for rural communities across the EU, as mills are often located in low-population-density regions with limited economic opportunities. These mills source their wood from local and sustainably-managed forests, distributing economic benefits throughout the entire value chain, from forest owners to end users.

 

If this industry were to decline or disappear due to unfair competition from outside the EU, it would reverse decades of progress that have established high-value supply chains and strengthened deep-rooted connections between people and their territories. This transformation has fostered innovation, research, and specialised knowledge. Moreover, the Plywood Industry offers significant environmental advantages, even in densely-populated areas, by shaping the natural landscape and sequestering CO2 from trees in finished products while continuing to promote the growth of new trees.”

 

The Greenwood Consortium is determined to see such matters through and defend itself to a successful conclusion, ensuring a fair and level playing field for the EU Hardwood Plywood Industry and protecting its long-term viability.