Sustainability

Our

Commitment

Our philosophy is to lead, not to follow

Ensuring renewable & sustainable resources

At Kronospan, we are proud of the environmental role we play in the overall wood supply chain. By producing wood-based panels using wood residue from the sawmill industry, we help to ensure that timber is valued as a limited raw material.

For us, setting high environmental standards comes naturally. A leader in technical development, we aim to get the highest possible yield from our input materials. The result is cost-effective production with the lowest environmental impact possible.

Together with our suppliers, we strive to achieve the lowest possible environmental impact.

We ensure the lowest possible environmental impact to soil, water and air
We promote maximum recycling as well as accelerating recycling of wood residue from other producers. We prioritize consumption of recycled wood first, followed by sawmill residues and finally small and oversized roundwood.
We handle, use, store and dispose chemicals in safe, healthy and environmentally friendly ways
We use solar, wind, hydro and combined heat and power plants to generate green electricity
We are continuously investing in new, more efficient equipment and machinery - with superior technologies for a better environment.
We apply the principles of the circular economy - reduce, recycle, reuse.
We collect wood responsibly, supported by recycling and sustainable forestry, to produce carbon negative boards.

Kronospan is working towards a more sustainable wood-based panel industry.

Environment equals responsibility

After more than 100 years of processing timber, we are experts in the efficient use of timber.

We are focusing our environmental care efforts in various aspects of industrial production - using alternative energy sources, striving for a zero-waste economy and producing carbon negative products.

We use low grade wood residues, small & oversized roundwood and recycled wood to produce technically advanced engineered products.

We recycle process waste into our products, or use this to produce carbon-neutral energy for use onsite. When a waste material cannot be used in one of our onsite processes, we seek out recycling opportunities in partnership with other companies.

We constantly monitor our use of water and energy to identify opportunities to reduce consumption, and have invested heavily in processes that generate energy from wood-based carbon neutral fuel.

As a first step in environmental responsibility, we expect everyone to minimise waste. We want to set a standard for cleanliness in our industry and strive to produce as little waste as possible. We expect everyone (employees, customers, suppliers, contractors etc) to contribute to achieve this goal.

Sustainable production

Nature is our most valuable asset

Collect, recycle, reuse – striving for a zero-waste economy

Wood-based panel production is a great way to introduce and maintain the principles of the circular economy. That means we can bring back into production a material that has already been used. We create technological and business environment that allows us to introduce the recycled wood in a wider product portfolio. In the process of sourcing wood in our work, we have established clear priorities: 1st choice - recycled wood; 2nd choice - sawmill residue; 3rd choice - sustainable forestry wood.

The production process incorporates a new system of drying wood strands at natural low temperature and making maximum use of recycled wood, thus dramatically reducing CVOCs. The recycled material is cleaned, refined, analyzed and sorted. The rest of the material is used by our biomass cogeneration facilities and fully incorporated into the production process of the factory. In this way all the available material is utilised efficiently. Thanks to newly-built combined heat and power plants we not only cover our own heating needs but more importantly we generate considerable electrical power. So as well as delivering high quality product that is fully recyclable, we can also supply electricity. Through this circular economy concept we use recycled material to create a product that can itself be easily recycled and we also construct an entire technological “ecosystem” that benefits nature and society.

Making circularity a reality

Wood is renewable. Wood is reusable. Wood is a CO2 store

Wood is our main source material. Its esthetic and physical features are widely known and acknowledged. Wood is also an important part of a long and efficient process of recycling and reusing - for end products and green energy. That makes its lifecycle CO2 negative. If grown and used sustainably wood could be one of the solutions on our way to a more efficient and environmentally friendly industrial production and economy. Efficient use and reuse of wood is one of the most essential daily tasks that we at Kronospan are dedicated to do. Wood as a construction material has several advantages compared to concrete and steel:

wood acts as a CO2 store and has a carbon negative footprint
wood is a sustainable material
wood is reusable and promotes the circular economy
wood has a combination of strength and lightness and posesses insulating properties

Wood is the best renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly building material

Superior technology for a better environment

We incorporate all of our additional processes and activities involving environmental activities alternative sources of energy, replacement of fossil fuel based engines with electrical ones. Our commitment is to replace our need of fossil fuels with electricity. To make that happen, we are intensively replacing diesel forklifts with electrical ones.

Replacing diesel trucks with train wagons is also a key element of our strategy to reduce carbon footprint. That requires a constant review and remap of current workflow andlogistical network we operate. We keep investing in better technologies and constantly look for new ways to optimize our production process. This makes our machinery and facilities more efficient using less energy and reducing waste.

We use solar, wind and combined heat and power plants to generate green electricity and continuously invest in new, more efficient equipment and machinery.

As a sector leader, we will continue investing in sustainability and circularity

People & eco friendly

Proven track record

Kronospan has a long history of leading the industry

As an expanding business in a dynamic environment, our people are the key to our success

2020

Introduction of E05 compliance standard according to EN 717-1.

2019

Introduction of safety compliance standard.

2015

We are committed to protecting the environment, and labelling our low emission products with the extra low emission E-LE butterfly emblem shows this.

2009

First OSB to receive certification from Energieinstitut Vorarlberg as an environmentally friendly product due to low VOC emissions and formaldehyde-free production technology.

2007

OSB ECO with extra low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.

1989

First factory in Central and East Europe to produce E1 particleboard.

1988

First tannin bonded MDF to meet E0 standard.

1985

100% of production was turned into E1 standard quality.

All Kronospan wood-based panel products meet the European E1* safety standard, limiting the use of certain volatile organic compounds. To be able to unify and standardize production processes, Kronospan has also developed its own safety and environmental- friendly standard under the E-LE butterfly label - introduced in 2015.

In 2019 the TSCA Title VI** was also adopted in order to cover requirements of the market in USA. In 2020 the company introduced boards covering production norms in compliance to the German safety limitations - E1E05 standard established by new DIN EN 16516 reference method and approved by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. It sets new, higher standards of safety limits of coated and uncoated wood-based materials under ChemVerbV***

* E1 is a standard of safety recognized in Europe to signal the maximum levels of formaldehyde of each wood-based panel.

** TSCA Title VI is a standard of safety recognized the USA of the regulation concerning formaldehyde emission from composite wood products.

*** Chemikalien-Verbotsverordnung for wood-based materials.

Sustainable forestry & certification

Lowest possible environment impact

Kronospan strives for a zero-waste economy

Respecting the cascade use of wood.

Our goal is to manufacture whilst preserving the environment and in this regard we meticulously examine our raw material, energy and water consumption in all our processes.

We are constantly gearing our operations towards a greener future by having an acute awareness of our carbon footprint that we are tirelessly trying to improve.

Kronospan is working towards a more sustainable wood-based panel industry. We ensure that supplier do not use wood from national parks, natural preserves, virgin forests and other conservation areas.