Circularity, at the source of the Unilin story
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. This is because flax is used in the textile sector to make linen. At that time, those waste substances were simply incinerated. They came up with the idea of investing in the production of boards based on these shives, so-called flax chipboard.
So those flax shives became our first raw material. 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. Later, we decided to go for wood as both a renewable raw material and as a green energy source. The flax chipboard has evolved into chipboard. And that’s not all. Our chipboard now consists of 95% recycled wood.
How to make high-quality boards from wood waste
Wood, a sustainable resource
Wood is not only a beautiful and natural product. Wooden products also combat global warming. Trees capture CO2 and the wood retains CO2 as long as it is not burned. Meanwhile, a newly planted tree can continue to absorb additional CO2. A balanced consumption of wood, based on what nature gives us, is what we at Unilin strive for.
Every year, more than 900,000 tonnes of wood waste is given a new lease of life.
World first: Unilin is the first company to recycle MDF
For a long time, it was impossible to recycle the millions of MDF boards produced annually on an industrial scale. Until now. Unilin has developed a unique technology to recover and reuse wood fibres. This world first enables us to give wood fibres a new life.
Learn more about this technology
Recycling MDF has a positive impact on the climate: you retain CO2 for longer.
