Rings in a new era of sustainability with a wooden bell

At the start of the 2022 Annual General Meeting of EPF, the European Panel Federation, held in Ghent from June 29 to July 1, a wooden bell was inaugurated, made entirely of wood-based materials by arborist Ben Vanden Berghe.

By ringing this bell, EPF and Fedustria, the Belgian association of the textile, wood and furniture industries and this year’s host of the AGM, aim to symbolically herald a new era of sustainability in construction, furniture, packaging and other sectors served by innovative wood-based materials. After all, products from sustainable sources not only make an active contribution to climate protection through natural, long-term carbon storage, but also fit perfectly into the circular economy and optimize resource efficiency through the cascading use of wood. They represent both the past and the way forward.

Today, only 45 percent of wood in Europe is used for materials. EPF calls on regulators, EU institutions and also consumers to advocate or opt for nature-based materials where multiple uses of wood are preferred, in order to increase the use to at least 60 percent in this way. After all, the age of sustainability has dawned.

As EPF Chairman Martin Brettenthaler pointed out, “Together with our members and in the traditional yet progressive city of Ghent, the wood-based materials sector as a European ‘flagship industry’ is proud to herald the beginning of an exciting future.”