Lignin-based glue used in plywood production

Latvijas Finieris, a global producer of birch plywood products under the brand Riga Wood, now uses bio-based glue in plywood production. The fossil-based phenols in the glue are replaced with bio-based lignin Lineo® by Stora Enso, and thanks to the long cooperation between Stora Enso and Latvijas Finieris, we are able to reduce the carbon footprint of Riga Wood plywood products without compromising their technical performance. According to Latvijas Finieris, their plywood’s potential environmental impact has been reduced by up to 49%.

Across markets, there are calls for change as consumers are increasingly turning to eco-friendly products. At the same time, the business demand for renewable, bio-based and circular solutions is growing rapidly. We want to do our part and replace fossil-based materials with safer and more natural alternatives.

“Plywood is usually seen as a mature product in a rather mature market. We found the idea of using a lignin-based glue interesting and we welcome new innovations. Since 2017, we have worked together with Stora Enso to test and develop the bio-based binder, and finally we are proud to say that we can replace fossil-based resins with lignin-based alternatives in our plywood production processes,” explains Māris Būmanis, Head of Development Research at Latvijas Finieris.

“Reducing our carbon footprint offers us, as well as our customers, unbeatable environmental sales propositions. The benefits of working with Stora Enso include continuous industrial-scale availability of a wood-based raw material with a traceable origin and a stable cost structure. This complements our corporate image as an industry leader. Our cooperation with Stora Enso has been extremely smooth, all the way from development phase to industrial production. Step by step, we will convert our plywood production to be lignin-based,” Būmanis concludes.

“I am very proud of the level of cooperation that we have reached with Latvijas Finieris, and I am extremely happy to see Lineo being used to manufacture more sustainable plywood on a regular basis and on large scale. Latvijas Finieris’ proactivity and positive attitude have been crucial during this journey to being able to produce more sustainable plywood to ever more demanding customers in an evolving market,” says Enrico Sbrighi, Business Development Senior Specialist at Stora Enso.

Using lignin in plywood glues is the most significant innovation in plywood products since many decades. The carbon footprint of Latvijas Finieris’ plywood is reduced from production to all of its end uses, offering customers a significant competitive advantage in an increasingly eco-conscious world.
https://www.storaenso.com/en/newsroom/news/2022/3/lignin-based-glue-used-in-plywood-production