Trade-offs in sustainability impacts of introducing cascade use of wood

The aim of this study was to analyse the sustainability impacts of allocating material from energy use to material use by adding cascaded wood into production of wood products. A case study is presented, where we analyse sustainability impacts of cascade use alternatives compared to the non-cascade use practice in particleboard production within the province of North Karelia, Finland. Direct impacts are captured using sustainability indicators representing environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability. Results show that introducing cascaded wood can increase carbon storage in wood products, employment and production costs. Energy use and GHG emissions increase as well, when the total industrial activity during the lifetime of wood increases. We conclude that cascade use can improve resource efficiency as it enables the use of wood multiple times before combustion; however, the amount of waste wood for energy generation decreases locally, and alternative sources of energy need to be identified.