Forest-based industries: Wood, Paper, Printing

Forest-based industries include the woodworking industries, pulp and paper industries and the printing industries. They use as their main raw materials wood, paper or recovered paper and wood. They also include specialised sectors such as cork.

EU forest-based industries are competitive, boasting very good technical and commercial performance. The pulp and paper, woodworking and printing sectors are world leaders in many areas. However, the sector faces a number of challenges, including access to raw materials, climate change, innovation, trade and the provision of information on forest-based products. For woodworking and printing, the SME dimension is highly relevant. Many parts of these industries play an essential role in maintaining sustainable employment in rural areas.

In the Communication on Innovative and Sustainable Forest-based Industries in the EU, the Commission proposes major policy guidelines which ensure a coherent approach towards strengthening the competitive position of EU forest-based industries while integrating climate change objectives into the industrial strategy.

The Commission has set up a Committee on Community Policy regarding Forestry and Forestry-based Industries, which assists the Commission in connection with all matters concerning Community policy relating to forestry and the forest-based industries.