Sustainability:
Renewable Energy in the Production of Wood Products
The benefits of biogenic materials such as wood can quickly be offset by the use of fossil fuel based energy.
In some cases, wood product manufacturers are not completely transparent on the type of energy they use. Various tools are available to assess the embodied energy of wood products – an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is identified as one of the better tools.
New Zealand is in a fortunate position in terms of renewable energy. New Zealand has one of the highest renewable primary energy supplies in the OECD, including major contributions from geothermal, hydro and woody biomass sources.
Over 80 percent of New Zealand’s electricity comes from renewable sources. By default, wood products manufactured in New Zealand typically use less fossil fuels in their production.
Source: IRENA - International Renewable Energy Agency.
