Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

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Victoria has approved a 15-storey mass-timber office tower at Cremorne despite council objections, clearing the way for what is being billed as Australia’s tallest timber commercial building. Australia’s tallest timber commercial structure to date— Cremorne office project—has been greenlit. The Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) has granted a permit to Endor Development for the 15-storey tower to rise at 57-71 Stephenson Street. The project will deliver 21,671sq m of gross floor area and 13,145sq m of net lettable space in a tower built with mass timber. …The project’s sustainability consultant Finding Infinity said the design cut embodied carbon by 89 per cent compared to a standard steel-and-concrete building. …According to the assessment report, the Yarra City Council criticised the project’s height and bulk, arguing that the office building should be cut by five storeys. 

“There has never been an apartment like this. No one has ever attempted anything like it.” On the morning of the 4th, construction industry representatives voiced similar sentiments one after another at the “Commons Timber Apartment Test Building Open House” in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. On site stood a test building for a timber apartment, a first-of-its-kind project in Korea. The two-story test building, with a gross floor area of about 108 m2, was built as a reduced-scale, real-life space to check in advance the timber construction technology and construction precision that will be used for 10 stories and 18 units in the full-scale project. The Gaewunsan Village street-housing redevelopment project is a plan to build next-generation homes across a 5,097 m2 area in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu… Two of the buildings, with 18 units, will be built of timber—the first such project for a multifamily residential complex in Korea.

Korean researchers have developed a technology to convert discarded wood sawdust into raw material for eco-friendly plastic bottles and textiles. The process operates at atmospheric pressure without high-pressure equipment and yields a bioplastic feedstock with purity exceeding 99 percent. Analysis shows it can also cut carbon emissions by 60 percent compared with conventional manufacturing processes that rely on edible sugars. The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology announced Sunday that a research team led by Senior Researcher Hwang Dong-won, working jointly with a team led by Postech Professor Han Ji-hoon, has developed a process to convert non-edible biomass — including wood sawdust — into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a high-value plastic feedstock. FDCA is a bio-based chemical that can replace terephthalic acid, which is derived from petroleum. 

Timber Development UK are delighted to announce a new designTimber webinar series in which leading architects, engineers and timber specialists will deliver in-depth presentations on their Wood Award-nominated timber buildings. Occurring monthly from February to October in 2027, these free lunchtime talks provide valuable continuous professional development (CPD) learning for designers and specifiers. The series will showcase an exciting, diverse range of recently completed timber projects in the UK, including a circular cycle hub in Oxford, a six-storey extension to an iconic London theatre, and a first-of-its-kind full-timber supermarket in Harrogate. …The series begins on 10 February with a presentation of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, where attendees will hear …how solid and glue-laminated European oak has been expertly used to create a world-class new centre …at the University of Oxford. The series continues with indepth case studies of buildings ranging from commercial retrofits and super low-carbon homes to high-footfall public spaces.

DAEJEON — Government bodies and public agencies in the forestry sector will be able to receive domestic timber free of charge for research and development and other uses. The Korea Forest Service said the revised Act on the Management of National Forests took effect on the 22nd, establishing a legal basis to expand the use of domestically produced timber and foster the wood industry. Under the revised law, government bodies and forestry-sector public agencies can receive domestic timber at no cost for purposes including research and development on timber construction and demonstration projects for wood buildings. The Korea Forest Service revised the national forest law in April this year to promote the use of domestic timber as a carbon store, as part of its forestry-sector strategy for meeting the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Stora Enso and Shanshan Technology have entered into a partnership to jointly accelerate the development and industrialisation of sustainable battery materials with the construction of a demonstration line for lignin-based hard carbon battery anode materials. The collaboration marks an important step in strengthening capabilities across the battery materials ecosystem. As part of the agreement, a demonstration line for hard carbon development will be established at Shanshan Technology’s facility in Ningbo, China, enabling faster technical development and industrial-scale validation globally. Together, the companies will be better positioned to respond to the rapidly growing interest in sodium-ion battery technologies and the increasing demand for sustainable anode materials.

Students at The Illawarra Grammar School in Wollongong are learning in classrooms built from 850 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber, with the school’s Hoskins Building taking the Grand Prix at the 27th Australian Timber Design Awards. …Judges Tomek Archer of Archer Office, Yann Frampton of Hassell, Nick Hewson of Arboralis, Victoria Judge of SJB, and Amy Smith of Arup called the Hoskins Building the first CLT Passivhaus building in Australia. MC James Fitzpatrick handed over to Kevin Peachey, head of WoodSolutions, to announce the Grand Prix at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. …”We’re at the point now where people who are not familiar with the timber industry might scratch their heads and think, what, this is unusual?” said Kylan Low, who organises the awards, whilst Andrew Dunn, chief executive of the Timber Development Association, wrote: “What was once considered innovative is rapidly becoming integral.”

SOUTH KOREA — The public sector is taking the lead in expanding the use of domestic timber. With a system providing timber from national forests free of charge for wood-construction R&D and demonstration projects now fully in effect, it is expected to generate demand for domestic timber and accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality. The Korea Forest Service (KFS) said the amended Act on the Management and Administration of National Forests (National Forests Act), revised to expand the use of domestic timber and establish an institutional foundation for fostering the timber industry, will take effect on the 22nd. The legal amendment was pursued as part of the forest sector’s implementation strategy for achieving the National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC) and 2050 carbon neutrality. To promote the use of domestic timber, which has strong carbon-storage capacity, the law was amended in April and takes full effect today. 

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Paper is made from trees. Use more paper, use more trees. Trees come from forests. Therefore, using more paper destroys forests. This is a long-standing misconception — one that falls apart under scrutiny. A useful analogy: eating more rice does not make rice paddies disappear, because farmers harvest the crop and replant. The same logic applies to paper. Just as rice is cultivated in paddies, trees for papermaking are grown on managed plantations, harvested, and replanted. The difference is timing — rice is replanted every year, while plantation trees take several years to mature. South Korea’s leading paper companies, including Hansol Paper, Moorim and Hankuk Paper MFG, have been running plantation programs at home and abroad, according to industry data released Friday. …The use of internationally certified raw materials is also expanding. Hansol Paper holds FSC certification across all its facilities and supplies certified products. KleanNara uses FSC-certified pulp in its Sunu tissue line and other products. 

SINGAPORE – Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has been issued a Notice of Temporary Restrictions on its green label by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) as fires from its suppliers’ land have been causing the current haze in the region. Under this notice, APP is subjected to daily fire response reporting requirements and strict monitoring to ensure effective fire prevention and suppression in the concession areas managed by its suppliers, said the council on Oct 19. These suppliers are Bumi Mekar Hijau, Bumi Andalas Permai and Sebangun Bumi Andalas (SBA) Wood Industries. APP’s Singapore Green Labelling Scheme Plus (SGLS+) certificate may be suspended if its additional reporting is unable to demonstrate that strengthened monitoring, fire prevention and suppression measures have been implemented effectively, SEC added. “If so, the use of the SGLS+ logo on products associated with the certification would have to cease,” it said.

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A viscose shirt and a roll of toilet paper are two very different products, but they have one thing in common. They’re both made from wood fibre – a commodity that is in growing demand, placing undue pressure on forests, environmentalists warn. According to Canopy… more than 300 million trees are felled every year, including from some of the world’s most biodiversity-rich forests, to make wood-based fibres for the fashion industry. …“Reducing dependency on forests and forest-based fibres just makes business sense from a resiliency perspective,” says Canopy founder Nicole Rycroft. As the devastating wildfires in Europe and North America have demonstrated, “this is a fibre basket that is literally going up in smoke”. She expects the EU’s deforestation regulation to increase competition for the wood, driving up cost. In addition, viscose production is chemically intensive, so closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also pushed up prices. [To access the full story a Reuters subscription is required]

Forests are essential to life on Earth. From the air we breathe to the water we drink, forests power our everyday lives. …That’s why this year, HP is contributing $1,000,000 to support forest conservation for World Wildlife Fund (WWF), through the Together We Grow campaign—an initiative to raise awareness about the importance of forest conservation. Forests and printing are interconnected: one provides the resources; the other transforms them into tools for knowledge, creativity, and communication. …As one of the world’s largest print companies, HP recognizes that its business is deeply connected to the well-being of the world’s forests. …The company requires recycled or sustainably certified fiber for all HP-brand paper and paper-based packaging for home and office printers, supplies, PCs, and displays, with a preference for Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certification, ensuring that its products support responsible forest management.

Nature-based infrastructure (NBI) delivers essential services like flood protection, water regulation, and climate resilience, but remains difficult to finance because its value shows up as avoided costs, not direct revenue. Drawing on 45 assessments across 29 countries, this report shows that for every USD invested, NBI delivers USD 3.21 in benefits, and sets out how to finance it at scale.  Nature-based infrastructure (NBI), such as wetlands, forests, coastal systems, and urban green spaces, is increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to conventional “grey” infrastructure. NBI delivers essential services such as flood protection, water regulation, and climate resilience, while also restoring ecosystems and supporting local livelihoods. Despite this potential, NBI remains difficult to finance. Its value often shows up as avoided costs and co-benefits rather than direct revenue, making it hard to fit into conventional infrastructure appraisal and budgeting.  IISD has spent five years building the evidence base to close this gap. 

LONDON — With rising expectations to prove material origin, a new report from  Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK emphasises responsible sourcing as a major component in purchasing decisions. The survey of 1,280 UK adults found that 68% consider responsibly sourced materials important when buying products, while 67% trust reputable certification labels to help avoid misleading environmental claims. Three quarters of consumers surveyed said they would be likely to choose an FSC-certified product over an uncertified alternative, compared with 11% who said they would be unlikely to do so. …Rosie Teasdale, Executive Director of FSC UK, says: “These findings show that credible, independent certification is not only helping consumers make informed choices, but also helping brands build trust, strengthen their reputation and meet growing expectations around sustainability.” …73% of UK consumers recognise the FSC logo, rising to 82% among 25- to 34-year-olds. Meanwhile, 46% say they have at least some understanding of what the label represents.

Work to increase the use of timber in construction in Ireland has entered the “next phase” with the first meeting of a group tasked with delivering on this government ambition taking place. …The group is responsible for delivering the seven priority recommendations from a report by the Timber in Construction Steering Group. 

The report’s recommendations were:

• Develop national specification for the use of mass engineered timber (MET);
• Establish an interim national centralised procurement … to support compliance with building regulations;
• Lead by example at government-level, designing and building in timber;
• Set embodied carbon targets and require whole life cycle assessments at design stage and within procurement processes;
• Support the establishment of a Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation Facility;
• Support the integration of timber as a fundamental component in the curriculum in architecture and engineering;
• Incentivise an increase in MET construction.

The future of Türkiye’s forest products industry was examined at the Future of the Forest Products Industry Workshop 2026, held on 17 September at TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul. Organised by ORSİAD Newspaper, the workshop brought together representatives from forestry, manufacturing, certification, academia and industry to discuss raw material supply, sustainability, production and international competitiveness. A central theme was the contrast between Türkiye’s significant forest resources and the cost pressures facing its wood products sector. Speakers highlighted the country’s position as a major producer of MDF and particleboard, while also calling for greater recycling, innovation and value-added production. …For Türkiye’s forest products industry, the next phase may therefore depend on how effectively its existing forest resources can be managed, recovered and transformed into products capable of competing in increasingly demanding international markets.

EUROPE — The European Federation of Wooden pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) fully supports the PPWR’s objectives to strengthen circularity and promote reuse.However, following our review of the work concerning wooden pallets, we have seriousconcerns that the current assessment does not adequately reflect how pallet reuse operates inpractice or provide a sufficiently representative basis for establishing a mandatory minimumnumber of rotations.  For the reasons set out in the attached statement, FEFPEB does not support the introduction ofa mandatory minimum rotation requirement for wooden pallets on the basis of the currentassessment. In particular, we believe that the evidence base and methodology should bereassessed, with meaningful involvement of the wooden pallet sector, before any suchrequirement is considered. Wooden pallets already operate within mature systems of repeated use, repair, reconditioning,and recycling across Europe. Their circular performance cannot always be captured through individual rotation counts.

• Related in the Economist: The EU’s new packaging rules are a bureaucratic bungle

Timber traders, pallet makers, and furniture suppliers selling into Europe will not have to trace bamboo, rattan, or used and second-hand wood to a forest plot after the European Commission’s rewrite of the EU Deforestation Regulation’s product list came into force on Friday. That is according to Delegated Regulation 2026/2102, which now excludes used and second-hand goods under the headings for logs, sawn timber, plywood, joinery, and furniture. “The same applies to components of relevant products covered by those codes if they qualify as waste, used or second-hand products,” the act states. Reclaimed timber built into new furniture or joinery is therefore out, with the Commission adding the exclusion because the old wording risked “discouraging circular and resource efficient practices”. …By contrast, sawmill chips and sawdust under heading 4401 get no used-goods exclusion, and fall outside the regulation only where they qualify as waste under the EU’s Waste Framework Directive or serve as single-use packing.