Latvijas Finieris, a global producer of birch plywood products under the brand Riga Wood, now uses biobased glue in plywood production.
The fossil-based phenols in conventional glue are replaced with Lineo by Stora Enso, a bio and lignin-based glue, that reduces carbon footprint without compromising the technical performance of the plywood products. According to Latvijas Finieris, their plywood’s potential environmental impact has been reduced by up to 49% upon using Lineo.
“Plywood is usually seen as a mature product in a rather mature market. We found the idea of using a lignin-based glue interesting and we welcome new innovations. Since 2017, we have worked together with Stora Enso to test and develop the bio-based binder, and finally we are proud to say that we can replace fossil-based resins with lignin-based alternatives in our plywood production processes,” explained Māris Būmanis, head of development research at Latvijas Finieris.
Across markets, there are calls for change as consumers are increasingly turning to eco-friendly products. At the same time, the business demand for renewable, biobased and circular solutions is growing rapidly.
“Reducing our carbon footprint offers us, as well as our customers, unbeatable environmental sales propositions,” Būmanis continued. “The benefits of working with Stora Enso include continuous industrial-scale availability of a wood-based raw material with a traceable origin and a stable cost structure. This complements our corporate image as an industry leader.”
“I am very proud of the level of cooperation that we have reached with Latvijas Finieris, and I am extremely happy to see Lineo being used to manufacture more sustainable plywood on a regular basis and on large scale,” said Enrico Sbrighi, business development senior specialist at Stora Enso. “Latvijas Finieris’ proactivity and positive attitude have been crucial during this journey to being able to produce more sustainable plywood to ever more demanding customers in an evolving market.”
Stora Enso is committed to replacing fossil-based materials with safer and more natural alternatives, including Lineo and biobased binder, NeoLigno.
