​Events & Conferences

In the context of the European Year of Skills , on 13 February, the Woodworking and Furniture European Social Partners, CEI-Bois, EFBWW and EFIC organised a dedicated expert meeting on challenges and perspectives for skills and training in both sectors. The event was moderated by Mrs Dijan from the Croatian Wood Cluster and high-level speakers investigated cross border collaboration between training institutes, companies and trade unions and explored the question of the future of work, in a context where shortages of staff and boosting the attractiveness of both industries are a common challenge and where new skills needs are emerging due to the green and digital transitions.

The Wood4Bauhaus Alliance, an official partner of the New European Bauhaus, hosted its side event at the High-Level EU Bioeconomy Conference.
The event addresses the immense climate benefits of using more nature-based materials, such as wood and other biomaterials, in the built environment. Long-life, circular products can drastically diminish
the carbon emissions of the building stock in Europe.
Four success stories of nature-based solutions contributing to a more resilient, self-sufficient European bioeconomy were presented, and their role for the New European Bauhaus discussed. Keynotes included speakers from built by nature, Stora Enso, the New European Bauhaus and the European Panel federation.

The European Confederation of the Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) celebrates its 70th anniversary this year! CEI-Bois has much to celebrate and is keen to focus on the future, especially on an increased use of sustainable timber to help decarbonise the built environment. Hence, the choice of the prize-winning, engineered timber Culture House in Skellefteå in northern Sweden as both the venue and focus of its Summer General Assembly meeting and 70th Anniversary festivities. The summer meeting took place under the slogan ‘The Future is Bright - the Future is Wooden’. Participants got the opportunity to go on a guided tour visiting several of the unique wood projects in Skellefteå, organised on Tuesday the 14th June, followed by a dinner celebrating the 70th Anniversary at the Wood Hotel by Elite, part of the Culture House. On Wednesday the 15th June, the General Assembly was opened by a panel discussion which explored how the rise of a building – the new Culture House – can help a whole region rise, and in turn what are the wider lessons for Europe?

Wood4Bauhaus is thrilled to have been selected to host a side event during the festival of the NewEuropeanBauhaus.

On June 12 and 13 this two-day side event will be held at the largest timber building in Slovenia (Izola), where the InnoRenew CoE institute is delivering science-based living labs about wood materials, engineered wood products and their positive impacts on people, society and environment.

Embraced by sounds of wooden musical instruments, the event will invite the participants to have engaging conversations about the future innovation needs and ways to connect industry, science and policy makers.

The webinar was jointly organised by the European Confederation of the Woodworking Industry (CEI-Bois), the Indian Embassy to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, in Brussels and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) on the 7 of April 2022. It explored current trends and opportunities for industrial wood products both from an Indian perspective - with a presentation of the India Timber Supply and Demand 2010–2030 report by co-author Dr Kant, which shows that although India’s forest cover has increased steadily for nearly two decades, timber production is still substantially less than consumption, and an increasingly large proportion of demand is being met by imports; and an European perspective - with a presentation by Mr Paul Brannen on recent EU initiatives that favour the use of more wood in construction and renovation due to its environmental benefits and its potential to help reach climate neutrality goals in Europe. 

The COP26 brought together world leaders to commit to urgent global climate action. On this occasion the global woodworking industry has highlighted the key role wood and wood-based products can play in achieving global Net Zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The focus of our global advocacy message at COP26 was that wood has a key role to play in decarbonising the built environment especially via the ‘new’ engineered timbers that enable wooden buildings to be constructed at height and on a large scale. These structures can both substitute for carbon intensive materials and store carbon. On the occasion of COP26 we launched our timber manifesto at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London. 

Organised by the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the
European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Panel Federation (EPF) the Club du Bois met online on 27th May to consider the potential of the Renovation Wave to store carbon.
During the meeting the European Woodworking Industries called upon policy makers to:
1. Acknowledge the benefit of stored carbon at product level;
2. Acknowledge the climate benefit of wood at a building level; 
3. Develop appropriate digital tools for carbon accounting.
 

The European wood-based sector launched the Wood Sector Alliance for the New European Bauhaus Wood4Bauhaus to establish an open platform of stakeholders. This newly established sectoral alliance is initiated by several umbrella organisations: the InnovaWood EU network for wood research, innovation and education, the European Wood-Based Panel Federation (EPF), the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS). It has also the support of the Horizon 2020 project consortia BASAJAUN and WoodCircus.
Wood4Bauhaus id an official and active Partner of the New European Bauhaus and, as a first initiative, will held on 8 April 2021 a Virtual Conference on how the wood sector can contribute to the new Bauhaus.

The Good Wood Project, notes for a Green Social Dialogue, funded by the European Union, aims at responding through the strengthening of the social dialogue to a reorganization of production and management in the wood sector, which goes towards a sustainable economy in the labour market.
The reinforcement of the social dialogue at a national and EU level will support a positive management in order to merge the flexibility needs to businesses with the security needed by the employees.

The seminar offered an opportunity to receive and exchange information on the trade opportunities of the Woodworking sector with India, which is considered to offer a sizeable potential for export of wood products, and in particular construction products, but which is not yet an established export market for the European timber sector.

The joint project between the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and the European Panel Federation (EPF) Perspectives and Challenges of the Woodworking Industries in Europe, focused on challenges faced and solutions offered by the Woodworking Industries and aimed at developing common opinion and deriving recommendations to the companies and workers involved.