BACKGROUND

The construction sector has an enormous economic and social significance for the European Union, providing 18 million direct jobs and contributing about 9% of the EU’s GDP. About 70% of wood is used in the EU in construction and furnishings. At the same time, the construction sector represents one of the biggest sources of waste in terms of volume with approximately 70,5 million tons of wood waste generated annually. Currently, around one third of waste wood is recycled. The remaining part is landfilled or incinerated, and differences exist between the EU member states in wood recycling performance and technology readiness as well as in legal, policy and socioeconomic framework conditions.

To improve process efficiency and to enhance conscious management of natural resources, there is a need to assess the overall system’s performance and to identify transferable good practices to minimise the generation of waste. WoodCircus project links the challenges and opportunities within the resource efficiency and cascade use of wood and wood-waste to boost the competitiveness of woodworking sector and to enhance its sustainability performance.