InnovaWood co-hosted the EcoReFibre Policy Conference, launching its Strategic Roadmap and supporting dialogue on circular wood recycling.
On 25 March 2026, the EcoReFibre Policy Conference brought together over 70 experts in Brussels. The event focused on unlocking circularity and market potential from wood waste. It welcomed representatives from policy, industry, research and civil society. InnovaWood and the European Panel Federation (EPF) co-hosted the conference alongside the wider EcoReFibre consortium. The conference presented results and enabled discussions around the EcoReFibre Strategic Roadmap. Its recommendations address the wider adoption of circular technologies and business models for wood waste valorisation. These solutions could help place Europe’s wood-based sector at the heart of the circular bioeconomy.
The following four sessions from the conference have been recorded and published on the EcoReFibre YouTube channel:
Perspective from policy, industry and research
The morning programme featured contributions from European institutions, industry organisations and EcoReFibre partners, including:
- Stefano Soro, European Commission, DG GROW, Head of Unit I4 for Sustainable Products
- Christian Holzleitner, European Commission, DG CLIMA, Head of Unit for Land Economy and Carbon Removals
- Adelaide Alves, Research and Development Group Director at Sonae Arauco, EcoReFibre Partner
- Martin Siewer, Ikea, views of a panel and furniture producer, Advisory Board Member
- Omar Degoli, FederlegnoArredo, best practises and EPR schemes, EcoReFibre Partner
- Solene Gautron, Joint Research Center, New European Bauhaus Unit
The discussions connected the project’s results with the wider European policy and market developments. Participants considered raw material security, cascading wood use, recycloing incentives and demand for secondary materials. They also explored how policy can support investment in collection, sorting and fibre recovery.
View the conference programme and access the presentations.
Co-designing recommendations
In the afternoon, InnovaWood co-hosted three interactive workshop with project partners. The sessions examined governance and policy, market uptake, and future research and skills needed. Participants discussed measures for improving access to secondary raw materials and strengthening demand for recycled products. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) was also considered, together with traceability, circular design and investments in sorting and recycling infrastructure. The workshop findings will inform an EcoReFibreConference Summary Report.
Launching the EcoReFibre Strategic Roadmap
The conference marked an important milestone for InnovaWood and the EcoReFibre consortium. During the vent, InnovaWood presented the printed version odf the Strategic Roadmap for the first time. The roadmap was developed through research, stakeholder discussion and collaboration across the consortium. It identifies key challenges, drivers and barriers affecting the recycling of post-consumer wood and fibreboard. It also presents research and policy reccomendations for expanding circular wood use across Europe.
Download the 54-page EcoReFibre Strategic Roadmap.
Making the project results more accessible
As communication and dissemination partner in the EcoReFibre consortium, InnovaWood’s task is to implement the project’s communication and knowledge transfer activities, raising sector awareness of advanced wood fibre recycling technologies in Europe.
InnovaWood supports communications and knowledge transfer across the EcoReFibre consortium. Therefore, the team uses different format to reach both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
At the conference, InnovaWood publicly launched the EcoReFibre animation, Closing the loop on post-consumer fibreboards. The animation explains how post-consumer can become raw materials for new panels and other products. It complements the Strategic Roadmap by making the project’s technologies and ambitions accessible to wider audiences.
Discover how InnovaWood developed the animation with Manpaard
What comes next?
The Policy Conference closed one chapter of InnovaWood’s communication work and opened the project’s final phase. InnovaWood will now help consolidate and communicate the workshop findings and the project’s wider results. These findings can contribute to European discussions on circularity, bioeconomy policy, as well as the upcoming Circular Economy Act.
EcoReFibre will conclude in October 2026. Before then, the consortium will present its final results and implementations priorities.
