Making of The Fingerprint...

Welcome to the Making of the Fingerprint, where we invite you behind the scenes of our latest masterpiece housed in our new headquarters. Crafted entirely from Unilin Panels materials, The Fingerprint stands as a testament to our company's rich history and enduring legacy.

Did you know that The Fingerprint embodies our commitment to innovation? Its interior construction panels weave together the most important milestones of Unilin Panels, while the exterior skin features HPL patterns, designed to seamlessly blend within the atrium's interior.

CIRCULAR THINKING SINCE 1960

The circular idea was at the heart of our foundation in the 60s. At that time, some 40 flax traders were looking for a sustainable way to make use of shives, a residual product of the flax industry, turning them into so-called flax chipboard.

Due to the scarcity of the shives on the one hand and growing demand for boards on the other, we were forced to look for other raw materials as well. We decided to go for wood as both a renewable raw material and a green energy source.

Throughout the years, our chipboard has evolved into a circular product, with wood that is 95% recycled.

Our goal? To keep wood in the chain as long as possible. By giving woodchips multiple lives, we save the wood from incineration, thus keeping CO² out of the air. With each recycling round, the woodchips become smaller and smaller until they are no longer suitable for the production of new chipboards. But instead of throwing them away, we transform these tiny particles into green energy for our plants. This way, every resource is put to good use!

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Since 1960, we have consistently pushed boundaries, investing in innovative, high-quality, and sustainable wood-based solutions for building and interior design projects. Let's take a look at how sustainability has been a key driver throughout our history.

CHIPBOARD MANUFACTURING AS THE INITIAL CORE BUSINESS OF UNILIN

100% bio-based panels

The panels contain glue to hold the wood fibres together. And that glue contains fossil raw materials. By 2025, we aim to develop 100% bio-based MDF and chipboard, entirely free of fossil ingredients.

About the circularity of our products

1967 | Unilin was one of the first board manufacturers to turn to wood waste to produce durable boards.

1969 | This year marks the beginning of Unilin as a wood processing company.

EVOLUTION TO DECORATIVE PRODUCTS

1988 | Unilin quickly expands with the production of melamine-faced boards for the growing furniture panel market.

1999 | Unilin starts producing their own MDF and HDF in Bazeilles.

2010 | The biomass plant A&S is connected to Spano, providing the production plant of renewable energy.

2011 | Clicwall wall systems, featuring the patented ‘Uniclic’ technology are introduced.

2013 | Unilin Panels acquires the Spano plant, becoming their headquarters. At this stage, our raw chipboard already consists of 35% recycled wood.

2017 | The Unilin Evola collection is launched – it’s Unilin Panels’ first decorative range focusing on the interior design market. At this moment, Unilin was the first to launch HPL with synchronized structures.

OUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

2020 | The biomass plant A&U delivers renewable steam and electricity to the Bospan site, so that the plant largely runs on green energy.

2021 | Unilin Panels develops a world-first technology that enables the recycling of MDF on an industrial scale.

2022 | The Unilin Decorative Range 2022-2026 is launched, along with Master Oak, developed in-house, thanks to the patented Timber Touch Technology.

2022 | A major milestone in our sustainability journey: our (melamine-faced) chipboard receives the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Material Health Bronze v4.0 certification!

2023 | Our (melamine-faced) MDF and Clicwall also achieve the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Material Health Bronze v4.0. We are one step closer to getting all our products certified!