Environment

Thinking of our environment

Our company takes responsibility for the welfare of the environment and for following the principles of sustainable development. The majority of energy required by our mill is produced from biofuel, so is very green and sustainable. Additionally, we use modern evaporation technology for treating the waste water from production. These measures ensure that we easily comply with the very demanding environmental permit limits.

Although we use only by-products from the local timber industry as our wood source, we actively ensure that only legally harvested wood from sustainable sources is used.

Our use of only locally sourced wood by-products, means that LION Boards^™ are probably one of the most environmentally friendly biodegradable boards produced. Combine this with zero added formaldehyde, our M1 certification and the fact that our boards can be easily and safely reused or recycled make LION Boards^™ the markets No1 choice.

Global warming and reducing CO2 emissions

Most (55-70%) of the acceleration of the greenhouse effect and global warming is a result of carbon dioxide (CO2). Even according to the most cautious estimates, its volume is growing by 0.5% per year, which means that the CO2 content in the atmosphere will double by 2100.

At least 60% of climate change is a result of CO2 emissions caused by Man. The greatest source of emissions is the use of fossil fuels, which causes about 6 billion tonnes of carbon emissions every year. Just to keep the CO2 content in the atmosphere at present levels would require reductions in emissions of more than 40%. About 85% of the energy we need is produced by fossil fuels.

The CO2 content in the atmosphere can be reduced in two different ways: by reducing emissions or by removing and storing CO2. Wood as a material is unique, as it can do both.

The use of wood reduces emissions significantly

• The production and processing of wood is very energy-efficient, so the carbon footprint of wood products is small
• Wood can also often be used as a replacement for steel, aluminium, concrete or plastic, the manufacture of which requires a great deal of energy
• Each cubic metre of wood that replaces other building materials reduces the emission of CO₂ into the atmosphere by an average of 1.1 tonnes
• Wood insulates efficiently and is a very energy-efficient building material. Wood is 15 times more efficient than concrete, 400 times more efficient than steel and 1,770 times more efficient than aluminium

Fossil fuels can be replaced with renewable energy Once a wood product is no longer suitable for re-use or recycling, it can be burned for energy. When wood is burned, the amount of CO2 created is no higher than what it previously stored so the burning of wood is carbon neutral.

Wood absorbs carbon

Every year, people emit 7.9 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Natural carbon sinks absorb only a little over half this amount so, in addition to reducing emissions, we should also be able to absorb the carbon that we produce. A wood product is nature’s own carbon store.

In nature, carbon is absorbed by different things. When these stores release CO2 into the atmosphere in one way or other, the situation is balanced by the carbon being absorbed by carbon sinks such as biomass, the sea, lakes and the atmosphere. This process is called the carbon cycle.

Every year, people emit 7.9 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Carbon sinks absorb only about 4.6 billion tonnes of this amount. Therefore the annual addition of CO2 is a vast 3.3 billion tonnes. Balancing such a large amount will not be possible merely by reducing emissions, so it must be possible also to absorb the carbon.

Wood is a carbon sink

• Together the trees in forests can absorb great quantities of CO2 and can also store them as wood. Each cubic metre of wood contains about 0.9 tonnes of CO2
• Well-managed and fast growing commercial forests are more effective carbon sinks that natural forests

A wood product is a carbon store

• Carbon absorbed by commercial forests is stored in wood products for a very long time and stays out of the atmosphere
• The average life span of wood-based products varies from two months for newspapers to more than 75 years for wooden structures
• The longer the life span, the greater the environmental benefit: the working life of harvested wood lengthens and less energy is need for the manufacture of replacement products
• On average a wooden detached house absorbs an amount of CO2 equivalent to ten years of motoring by one family or ten holidays in a hot country

Pure building

Wood is a natural and sustainable building material. LION boards^TM made of pure sawdust and wood chips combine decades of tradition in Finnish construction expertise and respect for natural materials.

Wood is the ideal building material thanks to its breathability, strength and insulation properties. One hundred percent renewable and absorbing carbon in the air, wood is also ecological – carbon remains stored in wood product s for centuries, and emissions from production are significantly lower than, for example, bricks or concrete. Dismantled wooden structures can be burned for energy or made into recycled products.

The LION boards^TM of Finnish Fibreboard are manufactured from pure sawdust and wood chips that are a by-product of the wood industry. The manufacture of the boards uses small amounts of wax and resin to improve the moisture-proof properties and strength of the boards. Particularly in the production of hardboard, it is possible to utilise the wood’s own agglutination agent, lignin. Because of the low chemical content, the boards can also be safely used in the construction and renovation of interiors. All LION Boards^TM meet the M1 requirements for the emissions classification of building materials.

Thanks to the good properties of wood and decades of development work, LION Boards^TM offer an ecological and durable alternative for building work and renovation. Finnish quality and expertise, naturally!

Wood as a building material

Wood is one hundred percent renewable and, as far as its properties are concerned, the best possible building material: insulating, strong, heat-storing, breathing, homely. Of the annual forest growth, about 80% is used for industry or for domestic needs. Since the early 1970s, every year Finnish forest resources have grown at a faster rate than they have been utilised. On a European level too, the carbon balance of forests is positive, meaning that they are growing more than they are being felled.

Wood is a renewable, sustainable and natural building material, which also possesses a diverse range of features beneficial to construction. Wood insulates and stores heat, and is at the same time both strong and easy to work with. Wood is also ecological; it consumes much less energy and natural resources than concrete or steel, and also produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. For the builder, wood offers a strong easily workable material, which is ecologically, aesthetically and economically excellent – as long as it is used correctly. It is worthwhile learning about the structure and properties of wood and bearing them in mind when planning structures and buildings.

The good properties of wood are passed on to wood products. Wood products mitigate climate change, as the carbon absorbed by wood can be stored for several hundred years. The emissions caused by the production of wood products are also less than those from other building materials. When demolishing a building, the wood-based remains can be utilised in energy production, and so reduce the use of fossil fuels. For more than 80 years already, the LION Boards^TM of Finnish Fibreboard have been manufactured cleanly from sawdust and wood chips, and they meet the standards of modern construction.