Beautiful details
With its cosiness and organic and ecological nature, wood is an attractive material for consumers. Instead of full coverage, wood is used more and more in creating unique details. Basic dimensioning allows the creation of inspiring solutions for both dry and wet rooms with the help of different lathing and partition solutions. There is no desire to cover up the natural hue of wood – rather, it is used to bring softness and a sense of timelessness to the décor.
“In the meanwhile, it is up to us to educate the consumers about the use of proper certificates and other responsibility factors in- volving wood.” Wood in Swedish DNA The biggest global brands value wood. Last year Swedish IKEA announced its new forest agenda for 2030, ramping up its work to enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and drive inno- vation to use wood in smarter ways. IKEA has already reached its goal of more sustainable sources. Today more than 99 per cent of the wood used for IKEA products is either certified or recycled. Jukka Tapani Vornanen , Global Wood Supply Manager for IKEA, points out that wood is the main material in IKEA products – as well as an essential part of the company’s heritage. “IKEA loves wood – and so do our customers,” he says. In addition to being durable, renewable and recyclable, it is highly aesthetic: “Wood as a material is beautiful, it feels comfortable and it creates energy. More and more, we are seeing customers who appreciate and have an interest in the material itself.” Plenty of innovations to come Regarding the evolution of wood, Vornanen notes that wood engi- neering is bringing new lightweight wood structures to the market. “We are excited about all the innovation that is cooking now and want to be a part of the scaling-up process,” Vornanen says, adding that a lot of the fresh ideas originate in Finland. “We find that some of the highest quality softwood comes from Finland. We greatly value our partners in Finland and rely on them as well as on other Nordic countries that have state-of-the- art sawmills.” •
Wood is selling out at hardware stores The wood renaissance is also evident at K-Rauta, a leading Finnish hardware chain that is part of Kesko Corporation. Green values cut to the core of the company: Kesko is the only company that has always been on the list of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. The list, compiled by Corporate Knights, was first established in 2005. Juha Huusko , International Category Director at Kesko, says that wood became a major hit for K-Rauta shortly after Covid-19 arrived. “In 2020, the Finnish market was 250,000 cubic meters for im- pregnated wood products for deckings and other outdoor needs, while normally the market's size is around 200,000.” Over 90 percent of K-Rauta’s wood is domestic, with Metsä Group as an important supplier. “Our long-term collaboration with Metsä has only strengthened lately,” he says. Customers increasingly appreciate the wood trace- ability data that Metsä can provide with great accuracy. Wanted: a new deck in the backyard Brand Director Tarja Viilola at Kesko says that, during the pan- demic, the Finns have really taken to doing small renovations indoors and fixing up the yard. “As a trend, it is clear that people want to invest in their yards and spend more time there. Indoors, they are using wood because it is a natural, soft material that breathes.” Huusko believes that the current global green transition will expand the reach of wood tremendously. “Wood construction is going strong, but there are also efforts to replace plastic with wood-based material.” Viilola agrees that the sustainability megatrend will elevate wood use everywhere.
Tarja Viilola Brand Director at K-Rauta, a leading hardware & builders’ supplies chain in Finland and a part of Kesko Corporation.
Jukka Tapani Vornanen Global Wood Supply Manager, Purchasing Development, Wood Supply & Forestry for IKEA of Sweden AB.
17
Powered by FlippingBook