Slovenia's Expo pavilion highlights wood as material of future

Through reforestation and efforts to increase the use of wood, one moves towards sustainability and green technologies, which means a lower carbon footprint and less environmental impact, the event heard.

Slovenia is one of the most forested countries in Europe, which translates into a lot of riches. Wood is one of the few natural materials that can be recycled or reused many times over, said the participants of the business forum entitled Wood - a Sustainable Material of the Future - Fit for 55.

The event was held by the Economy Ministry, the investment agency Spirit Slovenija and the wood-processing sector at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).

Slovenia has good conditions for sustainable development and a circular economy, said Danilo Anton Ranc, head of the timber directorate at the ministry. One of Slovenia's greatest strengths, he added, is timber, as Slovenian forests produce as much as nine million cubic metres of timber a year.

"Timber stores carbon dioxide and later sequesters it in wooden products for up to 100 years," he noted.

The ministry sees the timber industry and the potential of wood processing as key to realising the Green Deal and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55%, he added.

Spirit Slovenija head Tomaž Kostanjevec said that the Slovenian economy was focused on sustainability, green technologies, corporate social responsibility, efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and preservation of the natural and social environments.

He highlighted the country's wood-processing heritage, adding that the Slovenian pavilion, mainly made of wood, reflected this.

Andrej Čuš and Anton Harej, state secretaries at the economy and agriculture ministries, respectively, agreed that Slovenia had a lot of experience in recycling or reusing wood. This good practice as well as wooden products are exported to many countries.

The Fit for 55 programme will be presented at today's event at the Slovenian pavilion, with the focus on efforts to manage forest systems and the timber industry to implement circular economy projects. Moreover, the participants will discuss the opportunities Slovenia and Europe have in the field of wood-processing.

These events are held as part of the visit of a 52-member delegation from the wood and furniture industry and state institutions to Expo Dubai, which will wrap up on Friday.