Forest-based Sector Technology Platform
FTP
FTP may develop, alone or in collaboration with third parties, directly or indirectly, all activities related, directly or indirectly, to its purpose.
ID: 96415319324-88
Lobbying Activity
Response to Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy
16 Jun 2025
The Forest-based Sector Technology Platform (FTP) is a European Technology Platform (ETP) dedicated to the forest-based sector. It is the meeting place for industry, forest owners, researchers and public authorities, to discuss and build up a critical mass of knowledge on common research and innovation needs for the sector. In this way, FTP delivers sound, scientific, strategic and EU-relevant information to public funding providers, thus facilitating opportunities for targeted investments in research and innovation. The main aim of FTP is to develop, promote and implement a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, to advance competitiveness and sustainability of the forest-based sector through innovation. Supporting this high-quality research and innovation cooperation in the forest-bioeconomy must be a key objective of the forthcoming new EU Bioeconomy Strategy. This will be for the benefit of greater EU resilience and autonomy, global competitiveness as well as climate and environment. The Bioeconomy Strategy must also set the right direction by: Removing barriers and creating a level playing field The EU must take steps to ensure the availability and use of domestically and sustainably sourced biomass: (1) EU policies and legislation impacting the availability and use of biomass must be reviewed with a view to addressing inconsistencies, gaps and/or cumulative impacts. (2) The new CAP and other financial instruments, such as regional development funds and Horizon Europe, must incentivise forest-sector entrepreneurship. (3) The EU Bioeconomy Strategy must enhance market transparency, to ensure comparability with fossil-based products and materials. (4) Complementing the above, the EU can promote demand for biobased products through the following measures: In addition to the carbon sequestered within wood products, it is essential to acknowledge the substantial contribution of the substitution effect, i.e. renewable materials replacing energy-intensive, fossil-based materials, for the carbon benefits to be correctly calculated. In particular, it is important that the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy recognises the recently published ISO 13391 standard. Assess effective strategies to inform and educate consumers on the environmental benefits of biobased products, grounded in robust evidence. Support research, innovation and skills The new Bioeconomy Strategy should support bioeconomy-related research and innovation to mobilize private investments in Europe. Since 2004, the Forest-based Sector Technology Platform has helped to advance the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector through innovation. Going forward, the EU has the chance to continue building on this existing collaboration to advance competitiveness and sustainability in the forest-bioeconomy and strengthening EU resilience and competitiveness. The Bioeconomy Strategy should promote skills development and jobs A skilled labour force is crucial for the success of the bioeconomy in contributing to the EUs sustainable growth and global competitiveness. Diversify educational pathways in forest-based industries, forestry and forest management A Broad Scope for the Biotech Act The European Biotech Act, as currently outlined in the Commissions Call for Evidence, focuses primarily on medical, pharmaceutical, and select agricultural or industrial biotechnology applications. While important, this scope underrepresents the full breadth and transformative power of biotechnology within the wider bioeconomyparticularly in sectors such as the forest-based sector. FTP urges the Commission to broaden the Biotech Acts scope to reflect the ambition of its own 2024 Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, which rightly identifies biotechnology as a key enabling technology across multiple industrial ecosystems. We elaborate further on our feedback in the attached pdf document.
Read full responseResponse to Climate change mitigation and adaptation taxonomy
17 Dec 2020
More than quarter of a million EU citizens work in public and private forest enterprises, who sustainably manage forests covering 43% of the EU’s land area (2016). Sustainably managed forests deliver a variety of goods and services to society. They prevent floods, reduce soil erosion and improve air quality and forests are the most species-rich of all terrestrial ecosystems while creating millions of jobs in downstream industries.
The European forest-based sector is practicing sustainable forest management since many decades, and this concept is continually evolving.
By its broad scope and high complexity, the delegated act goes far beyond the ordinary scope of a delegated act. The degree of complexity makes it very hard for a forest owner or forest operator to interpret the proposed criteria, which in turn will make implementation difficult and risks resulting in legal uncertainty.
The emphasis on “improved” forest management, does not recognize the fact that the positive track record of European forests are the result of the efforts of generations of forest owners and forest managers to manage the forests as sustainable as possible. For instance, the fact that, since 1990, the standing stock of timber in EU27 has increased with 43% (Eurostat), is not recognized.
As currently drafted, the act would exclude existing sustainable forest management from the Taxonomy – which is equivalent to neglecting a positive carbon dioxide (CO2) abatement from European forests and forest-based products of more than 800 million tons per year.
Biomass from existing sustainable forest management offers products and solutions that help other industries make the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. By excluding existing sustainable forest management, the forest-based industries’ contribution to several European Green Deal objectives will be hampered. This means that the EU is less likely to meet objectives such as greening our building; a clean and circular economy; clean, affordable and secure energy; increased climate ambitions; preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity; clean and smart mobility and green growth.
By only concentrating on NACE codes 02.10 (Silviculture and other forestry activities) and 02.30 (Gathering of wild growing non-wood products), the act does not encompass the full width of existing sustainable forest management.
The European Forest-based Sector Technology Platform asks for the act to be revised in a transparent and inclusive way. The following concerns need to be addressed:
Throughout the act:
• The complexity of the criteria should be considerably reduced.
In the act’s sections referring to forest activities:
• The reference to “improved forest management” should be replaced with “existing forest management”.
• NACE codes 02.10-02.40 should be encompassed.
• The criteria outlined by the Technical Expert Group (TEG) in its final report should be reinserted after the following adjustments:
o It should be clarified that national or sub-national/regional level is adequate for demonstrating forest carbon sink development.
o It should be defined as voluntary to use a forest management plan (or equivalent instruments) for demonstration of permanence and steady progress.
• Any references to close-to-nature management should be removed, as this concept lacks a scientifically based and broadly agreed definition.
• Any reference to “additionality” should be removed, as this excludes existing sustainable forest management from being sustainable.
In the act’s sections referring to energy:
• Forest-based bioenergy should be classified as other renewable energy sources and not as a transitional activity
Read full responseMeeting with Timo Pesonen (Acting Director-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)
5 Nov 2019 · Discuss Forest based sector challenges and climate effect
Response to Update of the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy
20 Mar 2018
The Forest-based Sector Technology Platform (FTP) welcomes the timely revision of the Bioeconomy Strategy. We believe that the productive management of forests and the resilience of forest-ecosystems are of vital concern for the bioeconomy. In the context of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the role of RD&I is paramount. We would in particular like to raise attention to the following six issues:
• The Strategy should recognise established and well-organised, open and democratic stakeholder communities
European Technology Platforms (ETPs) and other organised networks connect stakeholders at the European-, National and regional level under one umbrella. The ETPs help with prioritisation, dissemination and impact assessment related to RD&I. ETPs are to be considered tools for their respective sector AND the Commission in defining R&D needs and priorities, developing strategic research agenda’s and more.
• Support sustainable biomass mobilisation in a coherent way
Many European regions optimise forestry with the aim of nature conservation, providing ecosystem services, soil protection and water sequestration. However, FTP believes that, bearing in mind the full range of demand and production constraints, harvesting possibilities in Europe can be increased by enabling forest owners to manage their forests more efficiently and sustainably. A 30% increase of harvesting of forest biomass would produce an added value of at least 75 billion Euros in the forest-based value-chain. However, reaching this target by 2030 would require more education about Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) as well as a stronger support for social and technological innovation activities. It is important to support the diversification of traditional farm and forest enterprises to introduce non-traditional sources of income, thus improving the quality of life of rural citizens.
• Continued support to the Biobased Industries Joint undertaking (BBI-JU)
The BBI-JU has mobilised the European biobased industries and it creates an excellent return for the EU tax-payers. The programme is guided by strong participation from bio-based industry members and the success rate for BBI-JU calls is better compared to other H2020 calls. We recommend continued support post 2020.
• Support the substitution of fossil-based and energy-intensive materials
The focus should be on current and future major markets so that projects can achieve success in a manageable period. One of the most important markets for renewable raw materials - especially wood - is the construction and building sector in Europe, which is responsible for around 30% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. It is also important to support the emergence of new business models promoting a better utilisation of renewable resources.
• Support a coupled approach in forestry to climate change adaption and mitigation
The forest-based sector contributes to climate change mitigation in several ways. Carbon is sequestrated and stored in ecosystems and wood products and there is a substantial positive effect achieved by substituting energy-intensive materials and providing green energy. Forestry in Europe has in recent decades built up a significant carbon sink, but there are indications of decreasing sink strength. Sustaining and improving the long-term carbon sink, and at the same time also the provision of all the other services to society by Europe’s forests, requires coupled strategies in forest management for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Such strategies have to focus on higher resilience of forests to climate change and at the same time on improving forest growth to enable an increased carbon sink and higher biomass availability to serve the bioeconomy.
• Biotechnology is only one of several enabling technologies relevant to the bioeconomy
We would like to ensure that efforts to support the emergence of the future bioeconomy are not restricted to the use of one particular technology
Read full responseMeeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)
12 Jan 2016 · Forestry
Meeting with Carlos Moedas (Commissioner) and European farmers and
2 Feb 2015 · Meeting with the European Bioeconomy Alliance on the Bioeconomy Strategy