Why Hardwood Plywood Matters
Overall, the EU's Plywood Industry is a leading industrial segment. It generates approximately €25 billion annually, directly and indirectly employing over 100,000 individuals. The Hardwood Plywood segment accounts for just over 40% of the total Plywood Industry in terms of turnover. Importantly, it provides jobs predominantly in rural or remote areas close to forest resources, contributing to the protection of environmentally significant assets and providing financial resources in otherwise economically very challenged regions.
This is done in two main ways:
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Permanent Carbon Storage: At least 5 million metric tons of CO2 was removed in 2023, a figure expected to rise through the use of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, as well as through Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage. Hardwood Plywood represents a very significant part of this.
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Carbon Farming and Storage in Long-Lasting Products: By being well on the road to removing some 310 million metric tons of CO2 by 2030, and driving a climate-positive economy by 2050, through its sustainable forestry management and soil carbon sequestration.
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The EU Plywood Industry, along with its Hardwood segment, plays a crucial role in safeguarding the EU's environment and safety, setting a global example by collaborating with national and regional governments to promote environmental protection.
Moreover, the EU Plywood Industry including its Hardwood Plywood segment, must adhere to very strict environmental and safety standards and regulations to protect the environment, its workers and also end-users. This includes chemical and hazardous substances regulations limiting, for example, the use of formaldehyde and other carcinogenic chemicals. Other safety measures absent in other parts of the world include mandatory dust extraction methods.
In view of these objectives, the Hardwood Plywood industry, like the Plywood Industry as a whole, is working collaboratively to protect and enhance the EU environment, while keeping rural economies alive.
In contrast, imported Plywood - when including the original logs used to create it - frequently originates from countries with inadequate environmental, social, and health standards.
Damaging the EU’s domestic Plywood and Hardwood Plywood Industries will eventually harm the chances of Europe meeting the EU net-zero targets as much as it directly hurts the industry itself. It also has the potential to jeopardise the safety and health of end-users in Europe.
Hardwood Plywood’s Place in the European Plywood Industry
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In the industry, ‘Hardwood’ Plywood refers to Plywood made from veneers of wood derived from angiosperm trees, producing a product identified by its overall firmness, the hardness of the surface, inflexibility and resistance quality. Thin layers of wood are assembled into Plywood panels for their durability, strength, resistance to wear and overall ability to bear significant weight.
All Plywood is a manufactured wood product made by gluing together thin layers of wood, called veneers, with the grain of each sheet laid perpendicular to the adjacent layer. This cross-grain structure enhances the strength, dimensional stability, and resistance to splitting.
Characteristics of Hardwood Plywood:
Wood Used:
The main wood species used to produce Hardwood Plywood are Poplar, Birch, Eucalyptus, Maple, and Beech. Ilomba, Ceiba or Bingtangor are also used.
Appearance:
Hardwood Plywood is valued for its fine grain, smooth finish, and ability to hold stains and finishes well.
Stability:
The perpendicular grain orientation of the veneers reduces the risk of warping, ensuring greater dimensional stability.
The designation of “Hardwood” describes the type of wood used in the veneers and their associated qualities, rather than the physical hardness of the material.
Hardwood Plywood can be treated further or left untreated depending on customer needs. Thus Hardwood Plywood can be found as raw, surfaced-finished (coated, painted, etc.) or overlaid with papers, depending on the final application of the product. It can be laminated with resin papers for different uses in, for example, the construction, transport and packaging industries.
In Europe, Hardwood Plywood is not only multi-functional but also a highly sustainable product that is suitable for many applications. It is most commonly used in the following industries:
Construction
Internal and external walls, inter-wall structures, floor coverings, parquet floors, steps or stairs, roof decks, industrial and warehouse floors, and formwork for various concrete structures.
Furniture Manufacturing
A framework of cabinet furniture, working surfaces, and structural and decorative furniture parts.
Transport Industry
As a floor or lining in trucks, trailers, vans, motorhomes, railways, carriages and buses. Furniture design in recreational vehicles, ships or yachts
Packaging
Packing applications of all levels of design and quality.
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