World-leading knowledge becomes vital competitive advantages for businesses

The list of forest benefits is long. It is one of our greatest natural resources, and as a carbon sink, it plays an important role in reducing climate impact. It is also a unique habitat for everything from small insects to fungi and a place that provides us with beautiful nature experiences and recreation. The forest plays an important role in our lives in various ways, making research in the field both urgent and significant.

Knowledge becomes a competitive advantage

Reza Hosseinpourpia, Associate Professor in Forest Biomaterials.

At Linnaeus University, the research conducted ranges from how the forest can be better protected from storms and extreme weather, to how technological developments can help produce energy raw materials from the forest and manufacture biofuels. The research is connected to many important societal issues, and the Department of Forest and Wood Technology is a significant meeting place for industry, societal actors, and academia. Here, collaborative projects are underway that provide value for all stakeholders: companies can transform knowledge into competitive advantages while academia receives quick feedback on what works in practice.

"To successfully create change and move towards a more sustainable society, it is vital for academia to collaborate with industry on these issues. We can produce excellent research reports and scientific articles, but close cooperation with other actors is required for things to happen in practice," says Reza Hosseinpourpia, Associate Professor in Forest Biomaterials.

Linda Wilkens, collaboration leader at Ikea.

He is involved in several projects at the university where strengths from the academic and entrepreneurial worlds are combined. One example is The Bridge – a unique collaboration with furniture giant Ikea and Sweden's largest forest owners association Södra, focusing on forestry, innovation, and sustainability. Linda Wilkens, Collaboration Leader at Ikea, has a coordinating role in the collaborative project.

"Ikea has actively collaborated with Linnaeus University since 2009. It was Ikea's founder Ingvar Kamprad himself who initiated the collaboration, with the ambition to strengthen the region and find ways to work more closely with academia," she says and continues:

"A little over three years ago, we entered into a new agreement that also includes Södra, and now there is a strong focus on the value of the forest where we want to build expertise across borders. It is a major initiative and a win-win situation as companies gain access to world-leading knowledge and academia gets opportunities for increased external funding," she says. 

Camilla Keen, Head of Learning and Development at Södra.

Camilla Keen is the Head of Learning and Development at Södra, a Swedish forest owners association, and is responsible for skills development. She holds a seat in the The Bridge collaboration group and leads the working group within The Bridge vthat focusses on education.

"With the strength of more than 50,000 family forestry operations, Södra works to find better ways to use the Swedish forest. Since innovation is something that is created together, research and collaborations like The Bridge are very fitting. At a time when society needs more sustainable solutions, our joint investments in innovation and knowledge are key," she says.

Research and education in the forestry sector needs to have a sustainability focus and start from a holistic perspective. Camilla Keen believes that this, in turn, requires a combination of methods and theories in everything from forest management to the properties of forest raw materials.

"Bringing these competencies together under one roof, as we do within The Bridge, is an effective way to promote exchange between academia and industry for increased competitiveness, mutual benefit, and international visibility. Linnaeus University has significant experience with interdisciplinary collaborations, and there is a broad competence and an ambition similar to ours, which is about solving today's and tomorrow's challenges."

Collaboration on Eco-Friendly Adhesives

Using wood as a material in houses or furniture is climate-smart since these store carbon dioxide throughout their lifespan – and a large part of Reza Hosseinpourpia's research is focused on increasing the use of wood products and developing new products from wood. He researches how to sustainably improve the properties of wood, for example, how wood products can become more resistant to weather, fungi, and water. One project, involves improving the water resistance of wood panels such as fiberboard by using pine oil instead of paraffin wax.

Reza's research also involves developing new eco-friendly adhesives. Most adhesives on the market today are made from fossil-based materials that are harmful to both the environment and humans. About 25 percent of the world's adhesives are used in the manufacturing of furniture, construction materials, and packaging.

"We are researching how we can replace the current adhesives with adhesives made from renewable and fossil-free materials and create an understanding of how they can be used in different industries. Developing bio-adhesives has so far been a challenge, partly because the methods for producing traditional variants are so well-established in the industry," says Reza.

Linnaeus University’s ambition is to become a leader in this research area. In the work that is being conducted to accelerate the development of eco-friendly adhesives, there is a close collaboration with Södra and Ikea, analyzing different adhesives together in a laboratory setting. Jan Olof Fechter, Category Area Material and Technique Engineer at Ikea, has a long experience working with materials and innovation and has recently been involved in a project at the university named BioGlue.

"Ikea is looking for new sustainable solutions and eco-friendly adhesives are an important part that we have been actively working on since 2014.” There are many good ideas, but for them to suit Ikea and be implementable on a larger industrial scale, they must meet many requirements – from capacity to price. An important task is therefore to scan the market and in a laboratory environment, sift out what works in practice," he says.

Ikea creates furniture for billions of people worldwide. If they find bio-based adhesives that they can implement on an even larger scale, it will be significant for the climate.

"With knowledge, money, energy, and invested time, we can together, in the long run, create real change for reduced carbon emissions," says Linda Wilkens.