17 October 2012
UNECE Develops Recommendations on Promoting Wood in Green Economy
story highlights

Highlighting wood as ideal for use in a green economy, UNECE describes the "cascading" of wood - or recycling into another product after use - to make the best use of its ability to store carbon, and allow it to replace other, less ecologically friendly materials.

In this scenario, after cascading many times, the final wood product is used for energy.

UNECE15 October 2012: A workshop organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has generated recommendations for highlighting the sustainable qualities of wood to the public, such as by comparing it favorably to steel and concrete, which have higher carbon emissions and larger ecological footprints. The recommendations will be presented to the UNECE Timber Committee for discussion.

The workshop, titled “The Green Life of Wood – Life Cycle Assessment Workshop,” took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 15 October 2012.

Paolo Deda of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and UNECE expressed concern that consumers may be rejecting wood based on erroneous beliefs and information. Highlighting wood as ideal for use in a green economy, UNECE describes the “cascading” of wood – or recycling into another product after use – to make the best use of its ability to store carbon, and allow it to replace other, less ecologically friendly materials. In this scenario, after cascading many times, the final wood product is used for energy. [UNECE Press Release] [Workshop information]

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