“Despite all the talk of the ‘second coming’ of wood, we feel actually that wood never went away.”
Mikkola says that wood has plenty of great qualities alongside its climate friendliness. It brings down stress levels and allows you to relax. Its good acoustic properties are well-known and it is also visually pleasing. “In addition, wood is a durable material - with good design and proper care wood products last for hundreds of years.” Construction and furniture businesses are now trying out new things. “Great R&D is being conducted all the time, so it is very likely that we will see much more wood being used in the future.” Transforming the bathroom A good example of wood-related innovation is the Finnish startup Woodio. Around 2015 it came up with the idea of making wooden tiles for the bathroom. CEO and founder Petro Lahtinen explains that the core idea sounded fun and challenging – but also impor- tant from a sustainability perspective. “Bathrooms use ceramics which are a burden on the environ- ment and come with a large carbon footprint.” Lahtinen holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Helsinki – and wasted no time in tapping into his broad networks to develop the idea. “We had dozens of people from various universities partici pating in the innovation process. It was a really multi-disciplinary effort that yielded great results,” he says. A wooden toilet Woodio is the world’s first 100 per cent waterproof solid wood composite designed to replace ceramic and stone materials sus- tainably. The first products were launched in 2018, with a more
robust commercial push taking place the following year. Ranging from interior panels to wash basins, bathtubs and toilets, Woodio’s portfolio brings together the best of Nordic design traditions and the use of sustainable bio-material innovation. “We are getting some of our wood chips from Metsä Board’s Joutseno mill, and we plan to source all chips from Joutseno even- tually,” Lahtinen says. With exports now to 26 countries, Woodio keeps building mo- mentum. The vision is to become a globally leading ecomaterial brand, says Lahtinen. “Despite all the talk of the ‘second coming’ of wood, we feel that it never went away. As a natural, sustainable material it is always in demand.” Thermal wood market is heating up Another pioneer in wood use is Estonia-based Thermory, the world’s largest manufacturer of thermally modified wood and sauna materials. The company’s product range includes decking, wall panelling, cladding and floorboards made of thermally modified wood as well as industrially painted wooden products for indoor and out- door use.
Woodio Soft40
Woodio washbasins are made from 100% waterproof solid Woodio® wood composite, which is an innovative combination of solid wood and resin. Wood chips used as raw material are a side-stream of Metsä Board’s Joutseno mill. Washbasins are manufactured at Woodio’s own factory in Helsinki, Finland, with a minimal carbon footprint. All the washbasins made of Woodio® come with UV, scratch, chemical and dirt resistant coating.
Matti Mikkola Managing Director for the Federation of the Finnish Woodworking Industries, an alliance of woodworking and wood products industry companies.
Petro Lahtinen CEO & founder of Woodio, a Finnish interior and design brand championing the use of sustainable biomaterial innovation in a contemporary way.
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