This week, Brussels turns its focus to sustainability as EU Green Week 2025 kicks off. The Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF) is actively participating in the week’s events, engaging in discussions that are shaping Europe’s green transition.

This year’s Green Week holds particular significance for the forest sector, as the European Union intensifies its focus on key themes of circular economy, water resilience, and the bioeconomy. From the Circular Economy Act to the revision of the Bioeconomy Strategy, now is a key moment for shaping these initiatives. FFIF is present in Brussels, with colleagues from our Helsinki office, contributing to these conversations and reinforcing the Finnish forest sector’s role in the circular bioeconomy and longstanding commitment to a sustainable and competitive Europe.
 

Celebrating 30 Years in the EU: Looking Back, Shaping the Future

EU Green Week also follows just after a major milestone for both Finland and Sweden—30 years of EU membership. On May 20th, FFIF and our Swedish counterparts hosted a joint reception in Brussels, bringing together EU policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to mark this anniversary and highlight the transformative role of the forest-based bioeconomy in Europe’s future.

The event, featured keynote speeches from European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, as well as Ambassadors Jori Arvonen (Finland) and Mikaela Kumlin Granit (Sweden). CEOs from leading Finnish and Swedish forest industry companies shared perspectives on how our sectors are driving the green transition with tangible, scalable solutions rooted in sustainable forestry and European innovation.
 

The panel discussion featured Henrik Sjölund, Hans Sohlström, Lotta Lyrå, and Ilkka Hämälä as participants.
 

The event in Brussels gathered EU policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to mark the anniversary.

The Bioeconomy at the Heart of Green Transition

A central message from the evening—and one that continues to echo through Green Week—is the need for clear, coherent, and enabling EU policy frameworks. FFIF has consistently called for a more integrated approach to EU regulation that values the climate and circular benefits of bio-based materials. As Europe updates its Bioeconomy Strategy, it must go beyond innovation promotion to include:

• Support for cross-sectoral collaboration and public-private partnerships
• Targeted funding for scaling up biorefineries and carbon-storing construction materials
• Coherent carbon accounting that fully recognizes the substitution effect and long-term carbon storage of forest-based products

Similarly, the Circular Economy Act must explicitly include renewable bio-based inputs alongside recycled materials, and standardize criteria for End-of-Waste, By-Product status, and Extended Producer Responsibility across Member States. Public procurement rules should also prioritize circular and renewable materials to drive demand and market confidence.
 

A United Voice for Europe’s Forest-Based Future

Throughout EU Green Week, FFIF’s presence in Brussels underscores our proactive role in shaping the policy environment necessary for a sustainable, competitive, and resilient Europe. We are working to ensure that bioeconomy, circular economy, and climate policies are not developed in silos, but in harmony—amplifying the forest sector’s unique contribution to the EU’s green goals.

As we reflect on three decades of EU membership, we also look forward. The future of Europe is circular, renewable, and made in Europe – with the forest based bioeconomy at its core.

Showcasing Forest-Based Solutions for a Sustainable Future

As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable innovation, the FFIF Brussels Office Showroom has recently been renovated to better showcase the wide array of forest industry products developed by our member companies. These innovative, renewable solutions include bioplastics from lignin and textiles derived from pulp cellulose, as well as sustainable, carbon-storing construction materials—clear examples of how forest-based products can substitute fossil-based alternatives. These solutions are not only tangible outcomes of our sector’s innovation but also essential enablers for consumers and industries seeking to support the green transition and achieve Europe’s long-term sustainability and climate goals. We warmly welcome you to visit the showroom at Rue Montoyer 40, 1000 Brussels, and discover these forward-looking solutions firsthand.
 

Newly renovated, the FFIF Brussels Showroom highlights innovative forest industry products.

Happy June for all and do get in touch!