July 2014: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has released a report on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of plywood in Indonesia and Malaysia. The report focuses on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) process and associated labeling systems and standards.

The LCA considers the full cycle from the sourcing and production of raw materials to manufacturing, including log storage and processing, gluing and pressing and sorting and packing. The report concludes that the main determinants of sustainability lie in input material, electricity and diesel.

The study suggests a number of steps that plywood manufacturers can take in order to improve the environmental performance of tropical plywood including improving the recovery of log input and using biomass to generate electricity during the manufacturing process. The study also suggests that manufacturers use the optimal amount of resin to avoid waste and improve material flow in manufacturing to reduce transportation impacts. [Publication: Life Cycle Assessment for Environmental Product Declaration of Tropical Plywood Production in Malaysia and Indonesia]