Finland’s forest industry has been struggling with a collapsed value added in recent years. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the country’s forests received about half less money per cubic meter of wood than they do today, mainly due to a decrease in demand for paper. As a result, the industry collapsed.
To address this issue, the Forestry Panel has released a report titled “From a drop to medicine.” The report highlights the potential use of nanocellulose as excipients and carriers for pharmaceuticals, along with wood construction, new packaging, and textiles. According to the report, Finland’s forests could have a value added of up to 15.6 billion euros by 2035, representing an 80% increase compared to 2019 levels.
To achieve this goal, the panel recommends updating current solutions in wood construction, packaging, and textiles. For example, building apartment buildings with wooden frames and shifting packaging from fossil-based plastics to options based on wood fibers are among the suggested innovations. Additionally, the panel explores new innovations related to the use of lignin, a biopolymer produced by trees, in various applications such as batteries, concrete softeners, adhesives
