6 | UK News
EPF highlights latest wood-based panel industry stats, forecasts and challenges
Raw material availability and regulation were two of the major talking points for wood-based panel producers at this year’s European Panel Federation (EPF) AGM and conference in Berlin this year. The June 27 conference at the Melia Berlin Hotel, attended by TTJ, saw hard- hitting presentations by EPF managing board member Stefan Zinn (Pfleiderer) and Holger Lösch, executive board member of the Federation of German Industries, on the industry’s future in the face of transformation and geopolitical challenges. The EPF Annual Report 2024-2025 was also released, showing production figures for the European wood-based panels industry (EPF member countries, including the UK) – a 2.7% growth in output during 2024 to 58.1 million m3
.
The figure is slightly higher than the provisional statistics shared at the Interzum exhibition in May, when production growth was expected to be up 1.9% to 57.4 million m3
. The stats have to be viewed in
light of a -6.2% reverse in 2023. Final stats show particleboard recorded a 1.5% growth to 31.3 million m3 grew 1.9% to 11.3 million m3 reached 7.1 million m3
and OSB – a 5% rise on the
previous year. EPF predicts PB, MDF and OSB output to increase again in 2025.
, while MDF
New EPF managing director Matti Rantanen reported a growth in building permits towards the end of 2024 (+14%) and the start of 2025 (+5%), following a declining trend in recent years. But he said economic sentiment remains in “negative territory” for the industry.
The furniture sector experienced a minor increase in production in Q1, 2025 year- on-year, after a 20% decline from mid- 2022 to the end of 2024.
Mr Rantanen summarised by saying private consumption is the main current growth driver in the EU27, while there is now reduced uncertainty in the construction sector. He said there is a turning point in the EU housing market amid improved affordability, rising real wages and declining interest rates. Stefan Zinn, EPF board member, told delegates that the industry was experiencing very challenging times. “It is even more important to have clear guidance and strong support for the industry,” said Mr Zinn.
Mr Zinn said while wood was an important material in helping realise low carbon targets, the emphasis in recent years of a “zero everything” policy was not possible in reality. The panels industry, he added, needed a reliable source of
energy to operate and needed to be competitive.
He warned that the burden of regulation and ultra-low emissions targets could lead to greater imports of cheaper Chinese furniture which doesn’t need to meet the same standards.
“New regulation in Europe and Germany needs to be reasonable and not put our industry out of business,” he added.
Holger Lösch, executive board member of the Federation of German Industries, said European regulations were trying to do the impossible and performing “gymnastics” in their policy approach.
This came, he said, from a general distrust towards business people from European policymakers and a risk averse approach.
Mr Lösch said policymakers were understanding that the industry had tough challenges, but they were also intent on ambitious climate targets.
“There is an internal fight about what measures we need to take to gain business confidence again, while still helping climate targets,” he said. “We need to get away from this attitude of regulating every detail because it is ruining our innovation.”
Above left: EPF president Pablo Figueroa López, Kris Wijnendaele (EPF technical director), and new EPF MD Matti Rantanen Above right: OSB saw the greatest production growth of the main composite panel products in Europe in 2024
TTJ | July/August 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
UK News
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85
