Wood: Raw Material with a Good (Eco-)Balance

©HPE

The United Nations has declared the year 2011 to be the “International Year of the Forests”. Forests are suppliers of wood and represent a multi-layered eco-system. Thus, packaging materials made of wood, cardboard and paperboard have great importance for the reduction of the effects of climate change.

“Wood is one of the greatest and most necessary things in the world which one requires and cannot do without.” Martin Luther already said this on 30 August 1532 in a dinner speech about the importance of wood for human life. During all eras, construction timber, firewood and carpentry wood have been used. They have also been used for the construction of vehicles and the production of paper, cardboard and paperboard. Without this raw material, Columbus could not have set sail and discovered America and even today wood is still one of the most important raw materials for humankind.

Essential for Life for 1.6 Billion People

On 2 February 2011, the “International Year of the Forests” was opened at the 9th Meeting of the United Nations Forum on Forests, UNFF, in New York. Thus, the year 2011 is supposed to highlight the special responsibility of humans to protect the forests of this world. Globally, there are approx. four billion hectares of forest which correspond to approx. 31 percent of the global land area. Forests are of central importance for the global cycles of water and materials, the climate and the preservation of biological diversity. According to data from the German Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, currently 13 million hectares are destroyed per year, above all in developing and emerging countries. If the forests were to be farmed sustainably and responsibly, then they could contribute substantially to future-oriented development for the elimination of poverty according to the experts: Worldwide, forests are essential for life for approx. one fourth of the world’s population, thus approx. 1.6 billion people.

Particularly in the tropical regions, the expansion of the forests is greatly decreasing while the forested areas in other regions of the world are increasing. Germany, for example, saw growth of approx. ten percent (approx. one million hectares) in the last 40 years. Thus, Germany also boasts an annual increase in wood of approx. 114 cubic metres: At approx. 3.4 billion cubic metres, the wood reserves of Germany are currently the largest in Europe. During the year 2009, five million cubic metres alone of wood were processed from primarily sustainable forestry to produce wood packaging, pallets and cable drums.

“Green” Packaging

Consumers worldwide have become aware of the theme of “climate protection with wood”. This extends from house construction via furniture to the use of wood as an energy source. And packaging materials made of wood can also make an important contribution to climate protection because the wood used captures large quantities of the climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) during its growth. Even in the finished product, e.g. in the cardboard, the carbon continues to be contained. Furthermore, even during recycling, e.g. of collapsible boxes, the CO2 remains contained and does not return to the atmosphere. When being used in pallets and boxes, the wood doesn’t even require any additional chemical treatments: It is naturally very resistant to external influences.

From CO2 Comes Wood

Experts confirm it: The more wood is used and replanted in the form of new forested areas, the greater the effect on climate protection. Thus, during the course of 100 years, a single spruce is supposed to take in up to 1.8 tons of CO2 and transform this carbon dioxide into wood. “Thus, packaging materials made of wood ensure a reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere”, declares Siegfried von Lauvenberg, the Managing Director of the deutsche Bundesverband Holzpackmittel, Paletten, Exportverpackung [German Association of Wood Packaging, Pallets and Export Packaging] (HPE) e.V. “And the longer they are used, the greater the protection of the environment.”
An additional important criterion is the ability of wood to be repaired. Wood packaging can oftentimes be repaired with sections of other damaged boxes or pallets as well as new wood and then continue to be used. And even with regards to recycling issues, wood is way out front: Wood can be crushed, the impurities can be removed and then it can be used again.

Collapsible Box Industry Makes a Contribution

Even the European collapsible box industry has developed into an important factor for forest protection in recent decades. According to the data from Pro Carton, the Association of European Cardboard and Cardboard Box Manufacturers, approx. 80 percent of the wood which is used for the production of paper and cardboard in Europe comes from European forests. Tropical wood from the rain forest is not used at all, declares the association. Accordingly, the European forests used by the paper and cardboard industry are cultivated in a sustainable manner. This means that each year more wood will continue to grow than was harvested. International certifications such as the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) and the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) confirm that the forests meet the strictest environmental standards.

However, the European wood packaging industry is concerned about the strong price increases for laminated wood for packaging and solid wood for wood packaging. The significant price increases for the required raw materials will also result in continuously increasing prices for products.