Grant agreement ID: 820892(opens in new window)Project website
DOI
Project closed
EC signature date25 October 2018
Start date1 November 2018
End date31 December 2021
🎯 Context & Strategic Objectives
The European woodworking sector is a major economic engine (9% of EU GDP), yet the construction sector remains a primary source of waste. Currently, only one-third of waste wood in Europe is recycled, with significant disparities in performance between different Member States.
- Core Ambition: To bridge the gap between wood processing, waste management, and the research community to improve wood recycling rates and resource efficiency.
- Macro-Regional Focus: Developed in-depth profiles for four European macro-regions to account for differing legal, policy, and socioeconomic frameworks.
- The “Circular Bio-Economy” Link: Leveraging forest resources sustainably to replace non-renewable materials in construction while ensuring that the wood itself stays in the economic loop as long as possible.
📈 Key Results & Achievements
The project focused on identifying transferable “Good Practices” and providing the data needed for industrial and policy shifts.
| KPI Category | Achievement |
| Case Studies | 70+ value chains identified and assessed |
| Best Practices | 24 high-potential cases selected for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) |
| Stakeholder Reach | Participation in 91 national and international events |
| Innovation | Pan-European Open Call for innovative SME practices |
| Policy Influence | Development of the “WoodCircus White Paper” and policy brief |
📦 Main Deliverables & Innovations
1. European Good Practices Catalogue
A major legacy output, this database documents the state of the art in wood recovery and recycling. It features an active interface with the European Commission’s Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) and the Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre (BKC), ensuring the data is accessible to policymakers.
2. Regional SWOT Analysis
The project conducted fact-finding activities (workshops, interviews, and literature reviews) to produce a comprehensive SWOT analysis for different European regions. This identifies why certain areas excel at wood recycling while others struggle with infrastructure or regulatory bottlenecks.
3. Supply Chain Typology & LCA
By applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to 24 best-practice candidates, WoodCircus provided scientific evidence of the environmental and social benefits of circular wood value chains, such as reduced carbon footprints and increased energy efficiency.
🌍 Socio-Economic & Policy Impact
WoodCircus serves as a technical foundation for major EU strategies, including the Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the EU Forest Strategy.
- Market Competitiveness: By promoting resource-, water-, and energy-efficient solutions, the project aims to create new “green” jobs and increase the global competitiveness of EU woodworking.
- Acceptance of Secondary Wood: A key focus was strengthening the trust of businesses and consumers in recycled wood as a high-quality raw material for construction.
- Policy Integration: The “WoodCircus White Paper” provides a roadmap for informed decision-making at local and national levels, advocating for a shift toward performance-based standards.
- Network Sustainability: The project established a well-integrated network of research organizations and industrial partners to ensure that European knowledge exchange continues beyond the project’s official end date.
