Swedish Forest Industries

We need to “boost the use of biomass as a strategic resource that benefits not only green transition and our joint climate goals but the overall economic security”.

The Swedish Forest Industries welcomes the Commission’s growth-oriented approach for bioeconomy,” said Viveka Beckeman, director general. Read more about it in @POLITICOEurope.

This Wednesday, the @Europarl_EN will vote on revisions to the EUDR. The SFIF calls on MEPs to seize this opportunity to create rules that work in practice – by fully removing the requirement to transmit reference numbers downstream in the value chain. forestindustries.se/current-issues…

Attended the @ForestryFuture event this morning — insightful discussions on scaling up the bioeconomy. Encouraging to hear the Commission highlight forests and biomass as a strategic, homegrown resource🇪🇺🪵🌲#buildingthebioeconomytogether

The organisations jointly put forward concrete proposals for amendments to safeguard the purpose of the EUDR: ensuring that only products meeting the requirements are allowed on the EU market, while decreasing the administrative burden. Read more here: forestindustries.se/news/latest-ne…

Sawmill, pulp and paper industry associations from Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia and Sweden raise significant concerns regarding the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) revision process in a joint statement.

The EU’s new climate law must enable the transition, not block it. Forests are the solution, not compensation. #LULUCF

Important outcome from yesterday’s European Council: the realistic role of carbon removals will be acknowledged and it will be ensured that any shortfalls don’t penalise other sectors.

Ahead of the European Council summit, von der Leyen calls for realistic LULUCF targets. We welcome that she promises pragmatic solutions.🌳Read our comment here: forestindustries.se/news/latest-ne…

The Swedish Forest Industries welcomes the proposal that only the first operator in a value chain will be responsible for submitting due diligence statements under the EUDR. Read our full statement: forestindustries.se/news/latest-ne…

It’s encouraging that the prime ministers of the EU’s two most forest-rich countries clearly highlights the climate benefits of wood-based products. The 🇪🇺 should promote the forest sector’s contribution to the green transition, not hinder it. 🌳♻️

A Letter on forests to Ursula von der Leyen Sweden consists of almost 70% forest land. We Swedes have cared for the forest and lived in it, by it, and from it for generations. It has warmed our homes in the winter, provided timber for our houses, and sustained entire communities. Every child learns woodworking in school. The forest is part of our culture and a central element of the right of public access, where every Swede enjoys great freedom and takes great responsibility. In large parts of Europe, the landscape is flat. When we speak of our vast forests in the EU, some believe we mean small parks – they have rarely seen anything that can compare to a Nordic coniferous forest. While other European countries spent centuries cutting down large parts of their forests, we have continued to use ours – but also to replant. We create jobs, build climate-smart wooden houses instead of concrete ones, and develop biofuels from forest residues that replace gasoline in the tank. Today, forestry provides a livelihood for around 140,000 Swedes. Another northern country that sells a lot of timber is Russia. After the invasion of Ukraine, many countries stopped buying Russian wood and turned instead to Sweden and Finland. That prevents money from flowing into the Russian war chest and creates jobs here in the Nordics. The EU’s current framework for forest use, known as LULUCF, is a major problem and, if not revised, would lead to unreasonable and unjustified restrictions on Swedish forestry. We have managed our forests for hundreds of years, and we know how to do it well. To in practice severely restrict large parts of Nordic forestry is the wrong path to take, for many reasons. When Swedish trees become wooden houses or biofuels, it reduces Europe’s climate footprint. That is why today, together with Finland’s Prime Minister @PetteriOrpo, I have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula @vonderleyen. We want the EU to truly make use of the flexibilities available within the LULUCF legislation – for the sake of the climate, and for Europe’s security. Allowing us to care for and use the vast forests of the Nordic region is not only about safeguarding a Northern European tradition, it is also a prerequisite for the green transition. And it is far better for Europe’s security that timber is exported from stable democracies in the Nordics than from Russia.

Our DG Viveka Beckeman interviewed by Bloomberg: For climate transition & competitiveness we need holistic forest policy. Forests give the best climate benefit when used sustainably to replace concrete, steel & plastic

Read more: forestindustries.se/news/latest-ne…

“Moving away from fossil dependency must be a key priority for the EU”, says our general director Viveka Beckeman. We need to replace fossil dependency with renewable, fossil-free alternatives. That’s how we secure both the climate and Europe’s competitiveness.

The Swedish Forest Industries Federation supports an ambitious 2040 climate target. It is a necessary step toward a clean transition. The most important objective must be phasing out fossils.

Happy International Day of Forests! 🌍🌲Sustainable forestry is key to replacing fossil materials with renewable alternatives. By managing our forests wisely, we support the climate, strengthen the economy, and drive the green transition 💚🌱

The climate benefit of circular bioeconomy is highlighted in the EUs CID. Substitution of fossil materials with sustainable renewable materials is clearly the way forward, and very urgent for climate mitigation and competitiveness. @SweForestInd forestindustries.se/news/latest-ne…