UPM Plywood starts using a sustainable gluing tech

UPM Plywood started using a new sustainable lignin based WISA BioBond gluing technology in plywood manufacturing, said a press release.

In the new technology 50% of the fossil-based phenol has been replaced with lignin obtained as a by product of kraf pulp production.

"Our long term goal has been to develop a gluing technology that utilizes lignin as raw material. The technological breakthrough that now has been achieved is the most significant innovation in plywood gluing in five decades" said Susanna Rinne, Vice President, Business Development at UPM Plywood.

UPM Plywood plans to take the new gluing technology into use gradually in all of its plywood mills.

Technical properties of the plywood manufactured using the new gluing technology match those of the traditional method.

Therefore, WISA BioBond products replace old products directly. The change of the gluing technology has no practical effect on end-users, nor does it require any actions from their side. Customers will be able to utilise the sustainability of the new WISA BioBond in their own business gradually as the implementation of the technology progresses.

“Sustainable and effective use of raw-materials is one of the corner stones of UPM's Biofore strategy. WISA BioBond is a prime example of this strategy in practice. Through cross-business co-operation we have developed a gluing technology that makes our WISA plywood products the most sustainable ones on the market,” said Mika Sillanpää, Executive Vice President of UPM Plywood.

Ability to use lignin obtained as a by-product of kraft pulp production in gluing wood has been studied for a long time.

WISA BioBond is based on patented UPM BioPiva lignin technology developed by UPM Biochemicals. UPM Plywood is now bringing the first patent pending plywood products utilising the technology to the market, the press release added.