Europe-based equipment and technology provider Tomra has developed a scrap sorting system that will enable global retailer IKEA to meet ambitious recycled content targets for some of its building products and furniture. said to be developing.
In a late October webcast hosted by Tomra Recycling Sorting, an IKEA presentation outlined the use of recycled wood in their factories, and a Tomra staff presentation covered the current state of the wood recycling market and the “wood Issues and solutions for the complete circulation of ”
Jan-Olof Fechter, materials expert and technical engineer at IKEA of Sweden AB, explains how IKEA integrates sustainability and recycling into its business and what the company’s long-term goals are for recycled materials. I outlined something.
“To date, only 1% of furniture has been reused, but 99%, equivalent to 800,000 tons of furniture, has been recycled,” Fechter says of the situation in Europe. “These figures prove that the recycling process is in place and already underpins our progress towards producing more environmentally friendly products. There is still untapped potential,” he added.
According to Fechter, in 2020 IKEA panelboards were made of 25% recycled material, while medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and high-density fibreboard (HDF) panels consisted entirely of virgin materials. was
IKEA aims to increase the amount of recycled material in panelboards to 56% and the amount of recycled material in MDF and HDF boards to 9% by 2025. Fechter said sensor-based sorting plays a role in the recovery and production of panelboard and fiberboard with secondary raw materials.
Jose Matas, segment manager for wood sorting at Tomra, said the current wood recycling market trends are driven by the European energy crisis, the impact of climate change and the industry’s reliance on recycled content to meet its sustainability goals. have been affected by increasing
“The energy crisis is hitting us hard in Europe,” Matas said. “As more households turn to wood as an alternative heat source, demand for wood, which is already at a record high, is increasing. Getting the right amount and quality of wood is becoming more difficult and always more expensive.”
According to Matas, the panelboard industry is turning to recycling to gain access to materials and maintain a profitable business. We are reaping the benefits,” the company said.
Murat Sanli, Timber Sales Engineer at Tomra, told webcast attendees that a ‘holistic approach’ could maximize the content of recycled wood. “To maximize the potential of reclaimed wood, he needs to focus on three pillars: waste wood collection, sorting and recycling,” he said.
It is the technology-driven sorting solution that determines the quality of the final product, he added. As a company, he said Tomra’s building materials division: panel.
The webcast is available on the Tomra website at this webpage.
