Future of the wood industry: Annual press conference on June 3 in Vienna!

Future of the wood industry: Annual press conference on June 3 in Vienna!

Schwarzenbergplatz 4, 1030 Wien, Österreich - On May 23, 2025, the specialist association of the wood industry in Austria invited to the annual press conference. This will take place in Vienna on June 3, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. in the IV Media Center, House of Industry. Exciting discussions on the development of the industry in recent months and an outlook on the future of the wood industry are planned. A central theme will be the role of the forest as a carbon store, especially in the context of current developments in the EU renovation regulation, which strongly influences the wood industry.

The contribution to the conversation by Mag. Herbert Jöbstl, the chairman of the specialist association and Dr. Erlfried Taurer, the chairman, and Mag. Heinrich Sigmund, the managing director. The event is broadcast online, a link is provided before the start. Interested media representatives must register via the link provided or by email to presse@holzustrie.at . Norman Schirmer, M.A., is available for further information on +43 1 712 26 01 - 21

EU renovation regulations

In the past few months, the EU renovation regulation, which was issued on May 31, 2023, has received increasing attention. This will come into force on December 30, 2025 and bring significant changes for companies. Large market participants and dealers must then comply with the new regulations, while small and small companies have time to meet the requirements by June 30, 2026. This transition period of up to 18 months was introduced to enable the affected companies smoothly. The EU renovation regulations aim to combat climate change and to stop the loss of biological diversity by preventing the deforestation in connection with the consumption of certain products in the EU. According to estimates by the FAO, around 420 million hectares of forest have lost worldwide by deforestation, with EU consumption a share of around 10 % of global deforestation.

A central element of this regulation is that products that were generated on areas after December 31, 2020 must be considered “deformation -free”. Among other things, this affects wood, palm oil and soy. Market participants are obliged to collect information about the origin of their goods and to carry out risk reviews. From November 6, 2024, registration in the EU information system will also be possible to monitor compliance with the requirements.

effects on the industry

The new regulations aim to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the biological diversity. The wood industry could face challenges through these measures, in particular with regard to the duty of care and the documentation requirements.

The EU has undertaken to provide an information system for operators and market participants by June 30, 2025 at the latest. In a general review that takes place by June 30, 2028 at the latest, possible simplifications for countries or regions should also be evaluated with little risk. Up to this point, numerous framework conditions must be implemented by the players in the wood industry.

These developments will also shape the discussions at the annual press conference of the specialist association on June 3, 2025, where the representatives of the industry want to develop strategies to meet the new requirements.