After significant progress in the European parquet consumption in 2021 as well as rising production in FEP countries to a level not seen since the start of the financial crisis, the European parquet markets already show decreases for the first part of 2022, reflecting the difficulty to fill in orders. This phenomenon is reported by most of the FEP members who are facing issues of wood supplies. Issues which are limiting the positive evolution of the parquet industry since the outburst of the pandemic, echoing high demand for wood and supply chains’ disruptions, and which are now reinforced by the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
”The present expectations lead us to say that we’ll have some drastic changes for sure, in the type of products manufactured by our factories. We can say that the time for innovation, the change of model, the research of new materials and the creation of new tendencies is coming. Hence, we must consider this period as an opportunity to modify what was a consolidated situation, though unusual, when there was, practically, a single product, which was and still is, the oak wood floor. The diversification of the usable raw materials is a necessity, as well as an opportunity to create new products. Let’s think about how much oak is dyed or stained with colours that could easily be obtained from wood species that already are that colour,” mentioned FEP Chairman, Lorenzo Onofri, in his FEP 46th General Assembly opening speech. “An approach of this kind forces us to reconsider the whole production chain of raw materials and then it obliges us to a company’s internal re-organisation of selections, stocks and supply chain. All these changes are challenging, expensive and difficult to make in the short period, but they are increasingly necessary in the long term.”
Besides industry’s own efforts to develop a longer-term perspective to explore sustainable substitutes and alternatives to oak, FEP Chairman also considers that the moment has come for Europe to change pace and mind-set: “I believe the time has come that Europe has the courage to establish what is more convenient for the good of Europe, of its citizens and companies as well as the activities to support them in the best possible way. For this reason, we strongly ask to be heard on a topic that is absolutely vital, that is the limitation to the exports of raw materials, as we risk to leave the European companies without work and to promote other companies that, instead, are unscrupulous to put in place policies only in their favour, violating any rules of transparency on competition, commercial treaty, laws for the protection of the environment or for the rights and safety of workers.”
The European parquet industry is thus asking the EU authorities for a tool, such as a quota, to keep oak logs within Europe as well as for temporary safeguarding, mitigation and support measures to the sector, and for coherent policies allowing higher mobilization of existing European wood resources as long as principles of Sustainable Forest Management are applied.
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