“The circular system of the wood supply chain for a new economy“ is the title of a research carried out by the Politecnico di Milano and presented at the Milan Stock Exchange during the conference “The future, today“ promoted by FederlegnoArredo e Rilegno, the national consortium for the collection, recovery and recycling of wood packaging.
Very interesting results emerged from the research on the supply chain based on the recovery and recycling of post-consumption wood in Italy: an estimated economic impact of about 1.4 billion euros, 6 thousand jobs and a saving in CO2 consumption of almost a million tons.
The Rilegno Consortium is a system based on 400 private collection platforms, spread over the territory, 14 recycling plants, 4,400 municipalities; every year the Consortium recovers and recycles about 2 million tons of wood from packaging and urban waste collection.
Professor Giovanni Azzone, Engineer and Full Professor of Business and Strategic Decisions at the Politecnico di Milano, presenting the research explained how the report has analyzed the different economic actors coordinated by the Consortium Rilegno and the process that led to collect in 2017 over 2.5 million tons of wood. Unlike what happens in other countries, where post-consumption wood is burned to produce energy, in Italy, thanks to the Rilegno Consortium, it is possible to regenerate and then reuse almost 30% of recovered packaging and recycle the rest, allowing you to produce panels for furniture without the need to use other “virgin“ wood.
Positive consequences also in environmental terms with considerable savings in CO2 consumption.
“As demonstrated by the study carried out by the Politecnico di Milano - said the President of Rilegno, Nicola Semeraro - in just over 20 years the system of recovery and recycling of wood has created a “new“ economy that has produced important results both in environmental terms, both for the ability to create development and employment. This system has also created value for the entire wood-furniture supply chain, guaranteeing the furniture industry, through the supply of chipboard panels, an important quantity of material that has made it possible not to “consume“ and import virgin wood“.

The wood-furniture sector and sustainability

The wood-furniture sector has long been very sensitive to issues related to eco-sustainability. Many companies have undertaken two different paths of development with regard to sustainability: the first focuses on design and design betting on products that are increasingly eco-compatible, using recycled materials, recyclable and with the lowest environmental impact. The second concerns companies and production phases: many companies are already eco-sustainable, have improved the quality of work, use renewable energy and dispose of waste in order to recover it.
“The Italian woodworking industry is the best in the world in terms of recycling percentages - explained Emanuele Orsini, president of FederlegnoArredo - over 95% of the wood collected is recycled within the industry: the panels are made almost entirely of recovered wood, a peculiarity that makes the Italian industry unique in the world.
He then pointed out the agreement between FederlegnoArredo and Rilegno to facilitate the collection and recycling of furniture to be disposed of in the public administration. The companies associated with FederlegnoArredo will in fact have the opportunity to entrust this task to Rilegno which, through a subsidiary company registered in the Register of environmental managers, will take back and recycle all this material through the network of platforms that join the Consortium.