Webinar: Forests and fibre: a renewable and sustainable solution to the Just Transition, economic recovery, circular economy and climate change

©Bates Smart/Peter Clarke11 November 2021, Glasgow, United Kingdom - Jointly organized by the South African producer responsibility organization for paper and paper packaging, Fibre Circle, and the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the webinar entitled ‘Forests and fibre – a renewable and sustainable solution to the Just Transition, economic recovery, circular economy and climate change’, saw an interactive discussion on how the forestry sector and harvested wood products can deliver a sustainable and reliable solution to climate change, today.

The session was respectively moderated and facilitated by the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI) members Jane Molony (Chief Executive Officer of Fibre Circle and executive director of the Paper Manufacturers Associations of South Africa) and Derek Nighbor (President of the ICFPA and President and Chief Executive Officer, Forest Products Association of Canada).

An enlightening presentation on the carbon storage potential of harvested wood products, was provided by Ashley Steel (Forest Statistics Expert, Forest Products and Statistics Team, FAO). “To move forward most efficiently and effectively, we need to isolate and communicate what we don’t know as well as why results between studies may disagree” she stated.

Not only is the forestry sector a key player in mitigating climate change through the age-old natural process of carbon sequestration and carbon storage in harvested wood products we use every day, but it supports economies, communities and human life.

Wood-based products can assist with climate change mitigation by storing carbon, while also helping to avoid or reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the materials they substitute for such as concrete, steel, plastics and synthetic fibres.

"We must induce transformation that puts nature and people at the heart of the design of our products, services and systems. The use of sustainably sourced wood products will be an essential component of a sustainable circular bioeconomy if we are to stay within 1.5 degrees." said Lyndall Bull, Forestry officer of the Forest Products and Statistics team.

During the webinar a new report developed by FAO in collaboration with the European Forest Institute and on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI), was released. The study, brings together the most up-to-date knowledge on the role of forest products in the global bioeconomy, providing a wide range of practical actions to increase the contribution of forest products to climate change mitigation and to sustainable development.

The report will be officially launched at the celebrations of the International Day on Forests on 21 March 2022.