New EU project to safeguard the future of Europe’s forest resources
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark will join forces with the Forest Stewardship Council and European partners to develop solutions to meet Europe’s growing demand for fibre-based materials while reducing the need for virgin wood.
The world needs more sustainable materials – but not necessarily more felled trees. As plastics and other fossil-based materials are gradually phased out, demand for wood and plant-based fibres for packaging, construction and furniture continues to grow. This makes it increasingly important to recycle more fibres and identify new, responsible sources of fibre.
Against this backdrop, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), together with a consortium of European partners – including the University of Southern Denmark – has secured €4 million in funding from the EU LIFE Programme for the LIFE FIBRA project. With a total budget of €6.7 million, the project will develop solutions to increase the use of recycled fibres, explore the potential of residual fibres from sources such as agriculture, and strengthen the circular economy across Europe’s fibre-based value chains.
“This funding allows us to scale up work that we have been building over the past three years. It is essential that we develop solutions that meet market needs and create real impact without compromising the principles that FSC stands for – namely the responsible stewardship of the world’s forest resources,” says Loa Dalgaard Worm, Global Lead for FSC Circularity Hub.
The project will also help companies and public procurers meet growing requirements for documentation, traceability and circularity. Recycling alone will not solve the challenge. LIFE FIBRA will therefore develop new methods for documenting the environmental impacts of materials, support circular product design, and ensure that resources are used more efficiently throughout the value chain.
Researchers will investigate the environmental and systemic impacts of using alternative fibres, develop principles for circular design, and analyse how new material solutions can be implemented at scale.
A key part of the project will be to determine whether the proposed material solutions actually deliver the environmental benefits they promise. SDU will contribute expertise in life cycle assessment, sustainable design, systems analysis and techno-economic assessment. Professor Morten Birkved from Life Cycle Engineering will also contribute his expertise in life cycle assessment.
“Many people see new materials as the solution. But materials alone will not make a difference. The green transition will only succeed if we also design the systems that make these solutions credible, scalable and attractive to industry. That is exactly the knowledge SDU brings to LIFE FIBRA,” says Professor and SDU project leader Lykke Margot Ricard.
She emphasises that the project goes far beyond developing new materials.
“When, in the future, we choose products made from paper, cardboard or other fibre-based materials instead of fossil-based alternatives, we need to be confident that these solutions are genuinely sustainable. That requires robust evidence and documentation, and that is precisely the kind of knowledge we contribute through LIFE FIBRA,” says Lykke Margot Ricard.
The four-year project brings together universities, companies and organisations from eight European countries. Its results will be translated into practical tools and guidelines to help industry develop more circular products and increase the use of recycled and bio-based fibres.
• EU LIFE Programme contribution: €4 million.
• The project is coordinated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
• The consortium includes universities, companies and organisations from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Austria.
• The University of Southern Denmark contributes research in sustainable design, life cycle assessment, systems analysis and the circular economy.
Against this backdrop, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), together with a consortium of European partners – including the University of Southern Denmark – has secured €4 million in funding from the EU LIFE Programme for the LIFE FIBRA project. With a total budget of €6.7 million, the project will develop solutions to increase the use of recycled fibres, explore the potential of residual fibres from sources such as agriculture, and strengthen the circular economy across Europe’s fibre-based value chains.
“This funding allows us to scale up work that we have been building over the past three years. It is essential that we develop solutions that meet market needs and create real impact without compromising the principles that FSC stands for – namely the responsible stewardship of the world’s forest resources,” says Loa Dalgaard Worm, Global Lead for FSC Circularity Hub.
The project will also help companies and public procurers meet growing requirements for documentation, traceability and circularity. Recycling alone will not solve the challenge. LIFE FIBRA will therefore develop new methods for documenting the environmental impacts of materials, support circular product design, and ensure that resources are used more efficiently throughout the value chain.
SDU to document real sustainability impacts
At the University of Southern Denmark, the project will be anchored in the SDU Innovation & Design Engineering and Life Cycle Engineering research groups at the Department of Technology and Innovation.Researchers will investigate the environmental and systemic impacts of using alternative fibres, develop principles for circular design, and analyse how new material solutions can be implemented at scale.
A key part of the project will be to determine whether the proposed material solutions actually deliver the environmental benefits they promise. SDU will contribute expertise in life cycle assessment, sustainable design, systems analysis and techno-economic assessment. Professor Morten Birkved from Life Cycle Engineering will also contribute his expertise in life cycle assessment.
“Many people see new materials as the solution. But materials alone will not make a difference. The green transition will only succeed if we also design the systems that make these solutions credible, scalable and attractive to industry. That is exactly the knowledge SDU brings to LIFE FIBRA,” says Professor and SDU project leader Lykke Margot Ricard.
She emphasises that the project goes far beyond developing new materials.
“When, in the future, we choose products made from paper, cardboard or other fibre-based materials instead of fossil-based alternatives, we need to be confident that these solutions are genuinely sustainable. That requires robust evidence and documentation, and that is precisely the kind of knowledge we contribute through LIFE FIBRA,” says Lykke Margot Ricard.
The four-year project brings together universities, companies and organisations from eight European countries. Its results will be translated into practical tools and guidelines to help industry develop more circular products and increase the use of recycled and bio-based fibres.
Facts about LIFE FIBRA
• Total budget: €6.7 million.• EU LIFE Programme contribution: €4 million.
• The project is coordinated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
• The consortium includes universities, companies and organisations from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Austria.
• The University of Southern Denmark contributes research in sustainable design, life cycle assessment, systems analysis and the circular economy.