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(03/26/2025 / sbr)
Andritz launches R&D program to double value from wood without more harvesting
Andritz is launching a comprehensive research and development program called BioCircleToZero, which aims to double the value derived from wood without harvesting more trees. Business Finland, the government’s agency for trade and investment promotion, has granted Andritz 10 million euros in funding for the BioCircleToZero program. An additional 20 million euros will be provided by Business Finland to partners contributing to the program.
As part of BioCircleToZero, Andritz will initiate and lead extensive cooperation and R&D efforts with companies, research institutes, and universities. This ecosystem is expected to include more than 100 partners in Finland, focusing on increasing resource efficiency in the forest products industry and strengthening its role in the green transition. Over the next five years, the total investments in ecosystem projects, including funding from Business Finland, are expected to exceed 100 million euros.
“At Andritz, we are committed to helping the forest products industry drive the green transition while ensuring its long-term competitiveness,” said Kari Tuominen, CEO of Andritz Oy in Finland. “As a leading supplier of technology to the pulp and paper industry with growing expertise in innovative technologies such as Power-to-X, the production of renewable textile fibers, sustainable fuels, and biobased chemicals, we are well positioned to lead this transformation.”
Forests play a crucial role for the climate in many ways. As a limited and valuable resource, they must be used as responsibly and efficiently as possible. The BioCircleToZero program seeks to maximize the efficiency and sustainability of forest utilization by paving the way for advanced biorefineries capable of producing a wide range of high-value biocarbon-based products, while minimizing waste and emissions.
Key topics addressed by the program include the development of new wood-based products, the integration of related processes, the optimization of side stream utilization, and the advancement of zero-waste and zero-emission production processes. Emphasis will be placed on the role of pulp mills as sources of biogenic carbon dioxide for Power-to-X plants, helping to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.
Through BioCircleToZero, Andritz, together with its future ecosystem partners, aims to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and competitive forest products industry, ensuring greater value extraction from each tree while preserving forest resources for future generations.
