The wood value chain plays a key role in the decarbonisation of the economy. Wood products can replace fossil-based materials and contribute to carbon storage throughout the product life cycle.

However, the value chain relies on a complex system integrating multiple sectors: primary processing, semi-finished and finished products manufacturing, pulp and paper, and energy production. Understanding its real contribution to decarbonisation requires quantifying all the material flows involved.

Many of these flows are difficult to capture. Production residues, by-products, end-of-life materials, and exchanges between sectors are not always represented in official statistics. Without comprehensive mapping, it becomes challenging to assess the actual use of national forest resources, the circularity of the value chain, and its contribution to carbon storage.

Within the framework of the PNRR GRINS project – Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable – Etifor collaborated with the University of Padua (Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry – TESAF, and Department of Economics and Management) to develop a model capable of representing interactions among the main sectors of Italy’s wood product value chain.

The model enables the visualisation and quantification of material flows across the entire value chain, from primary processing to finished products manufacturing, including pulp and paper and energy generation.

The objective is to provide an analytical tool to support public policies, highlighting the role of the value chain in the ecological transition.

Etifor supported the TESAF Department in building the database and developing the model, contributing in particular to:

• collecting and harmonising data related to the Italian wood value chain;
• building historical time series to represent the evolution of material flows over time;
• organising expert consultations for methodological validation of the model;
• contributing to the definition and analysis of the different scenarios considered.

The result is a model capable of providing a systemic representation of the value chain, highlighting:

• the actual use of national forest resources;
• the level of integration among production sectors;
• the degree of circularity of the system;
• the potential contribution of the Italian forest-wood system to carbon storage.

Through this work, we strengthen the scientific foundation supporting decarbonisation policies, enhancing the strategic role of the wood value chain in the transition towards a more resilient and sustainable economy.