International Day of Forests 2022

Join the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for an online event on how leaders in the fashion, textile and packaging sectors are shaping the sustainable future of forests and circular production to reduce carbon emissions, waste and plastics pollution across the global economy.  

About the session

Wood is a highly versatile material and the number of wood-based products is continuously increasing. The story of wood is closely intertwined with complex sustainability considerations. Certification of sustainable forest management emerged as a result of concerns over illegal tropical timber harvests and other unsustainable practices in the 1990s. In recent years, consumer awareness of packaging waste and microfibres in oceans and landfills has driven change. Innovations among paper and board producers, include alternative materials to replace plastics using renewable products of organic origin, most of which are recyclable, compostable or both. Similarly, textile fibre manufacturers’ production of modern, sustainable cellulose-based fibres has come a long way from the initial, very polluting process of Rayon. The textile industry has also re-imagined the process of wood derived fibres for fashion. Modern man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF) are now produced with closed-loop systems or even without chemicals, thereby lowering their environmental footprint and providing a highly sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polyester, which currently dominates the textile market.

As such, the story of the ever-changing use of wood is deeply intertwined with our own history. It captures our journey towards safer, more comfortable and, ultimately, more sustainable lifestyles. We now live in times when the consequences of anthropogenic climate change and plastic pollution are felt more strongly than ever before. We have reached acrossroads and need to ask ourselves:

· What are some new possible uses of wood in our everyday lives?

· How can a sustainable production and consumption of wood products help to decarbonise industries, to transform the way we (re)use resources, and to support the transition towards more sustainable lifestyles?

· What are our options for choosing to use wood wisely while caring for our forests in light of climate change and the many ecosystem services they provide?

Visit the event webpage for more information.  

Register now at: https://forms.office.com/r/iLWk1k62FZ