Of wood is recycled into new materials

The remaining half is converted into energy through combustion. Even though around 100,000 tonnes of this wood waste are suitable for recycling, underscoring a significant opportunity to increase recycling efforts.

Wood, as a renewable and ecological material, offers unique benefits for carbon reduction and long-term carbon storage. To fully harness the environmental benefits of wood, two essential considerations must be prioritized: sourcing wood from sustainably managed forests and maximizing the utilization of each tree to minimize waste generation. However, to fully capture these environmental and economic advantages, reuse of wood should be prioritized over recycling. Unlike recycling, which can diminish the structural and aesthetic qualities of wood, reuse preserves the material’s intrinsic value and extends its lifecycle. Prioritizing reuse allows for higher-value applications, reducing the demand for freshly sourced wood and minimizing waste.

From 2016 to 2018, Denmark’s domestic wood consumption rose from 13.1 million to 17.5 million cubic meters. This increase in demand is largely driven by the energy sector, which accounts for 76% of the rise in wood consumption during this period.

Source: Brownell II, P. H., Iliev, B. E., Bentsen, N. S. (2023). Wood flows through the Danish economy. Department of Geosciences and Natural Recourse Management, University of Copenhagen. IGN Report No. March 2023