During Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, most meetings will be held at the conference center adjacent to the national airport. At the entrance, EU-delegates will encounter a permanent exhibition about the forest-based industry’s central role in the green transition. The exhibition has been developed by Swedish Forest Industries.
“The raw material from active forestry is used to make essential products we use every day and is key to solving future challenges. The green transition is driving innovation in new and exciting directions. We will see many new areas of use for forest-based products, but also an increased circularity to use our resources as efficiently as possible. We appreciate the opportunity to raise awareness on this issue during the Swedish Presidency”, says Ulf Larsson, chairman of Swedish Forest Industries.
The exhibition shows wooden construction, circular everyday products such as packaging and textiles, as well as new innovative materials and products. Sara Cultural Centre in Skellefteå and 3D-printed furniture made of bark beetle-damaged wood are only two examples of exhibits on display. The exhibition also showcases active forestry and nature conservation, as well as recreational activities that forests offer.
“Renewable raw materials from forests are a strategic resource of vital importance in our efforts to displace fossil-based products and materials. That is why it is so important to show how Sweden and sustainable forest management can contribute”, says Ulf Larsson.
“The forest-based industry is in constant development. Our materials and products are finding new and innovative areas of use, to the benefit of the whole society. With this exhibition, we want to highlight the role of forests and the forest-based industry in the green transition, as well as our contribution to jobs and prosperity. The forest covers 40 percent of the EU’s surface and is a strategically important natural resource that we must manage and use sustainably”, says Viveka Beckeman, Director General for the Swedish Forest Industries.