Sustainability in action!

At the same time that businesses are searching for sustainable, bio-based, circular solutions, designers and consumers are increasingly turning to eco-friendly products.

Plywood manufacturers have been looking for a “green” alternative to petroleum-based glues and to replace them with a sustainable, non-toxic alternative.

Latvijas Finieris, a European manufacturer of premium plywood and represented in New Zealand and Australia by Plytech, has developed a new Green Glue: RIGA ECOlogical.

RIGA ECOlogical is the most significant innovation in plywood glue technology in decades, where Bio-Based Renewable Lignin to a significant extent is used as replacement of the traditional Fossil Phenol says Plytech Sales and Marketing Manager, Henry Dednam.

“We believe the development of RIGA ECOlogical for the manufacture of plywood products is most significant and leads the way in our quest to turn to renewable, natural resources.

“The demand for sustainable products is a growing trend. Our customers are well informed and very much aware of our shared environmental responsibilities. RIGA ECOlogical allows Plytech to be among the leaders to make our popular Birch decorative panel products available with the new green glue technology.”

Latvijas Finieris and Stora Enso began their journey to developing this latest green technological advance in 2017, launching, in 2019, a new range of RIGA Plywood products made using it. Plytech has been gradually introducing this new range to New Zealand markets since December 2020.

“We can now offer a ply panel that doesn’t compromise on any technical aspects and which boasts a sustainable footprint. Results of industrial production trials show that all technical properties of RIGA Plywood remain unchanged—offering the same quality, consistency and technical properties as the previous range.

“Only now it reduces the carbon footprint of the plywood from production—Stora Enso’s Lineo kraft lignin is produced from sustainably sourced wood from both FSC- and PEFC-certified plantations—to its end use, offering a significant competitive advantage in the increasingly green business, home and living environment sectors—at no extra cost.

”We are excited to be offering our customers a great product that is not only aligned with our ethos but also with our mission statement: Providing sustainable materials to bring designs to life now and for future generations."

Learn more about the qualities of the new Plytech Green glue.