BELGIUM - Rui Correia, CEO of Sonae Arauco, joined the Forest-based Bioeconomy Dialogue initiated by the European Commission's Executive Vice-President, Maroš Šefčovič, in Brussels.

This discussion involved a select group including CEOs, European forest industry associations, NGOs, forest owners associations, scientists, and policymakers. Sonae Arauco emphasized the importance of adhering to the "cascading use of wood" principle, as mandated by the recent RED III legislation. This principle prioritizes wood-based products, extending their service life, re-use, recycling, bioenergy, and disposal in that order.

Sonae Arauco, as a forest-based company, produces engineered wood-based panels for furniture, interior design, and construction. These products store CO2 throughout their life cycle and can be recycled, showcasing a circular bioeconomy model. Despite this, data from the JRC's (Joint Research Centre)"Biomass supply and uses in the EU" indicates that only 42% of harvested wood is transformed by the industry, with the rest used for energy, highlighting a linear use of this resource. Sonae Arauco advocates for reinforcing circular bioeconomy policies in the EU to promote a climate-smart use of wood, crucial for decarbonizing the economy and addressing climate and biodiversity challenges.