THE winner of the international What Wood You Do? competition, which aims to find new solutions that accelerate the transition to a fossil-free society, will be announced this week.

After more than 50 entries from 10 countries, six forest innovations have been selected, with ideas ranging from new uses for cellulose to high-tech drone solutions.

On Thursday 24 September, the six finalists will compete for €25,000 and the opportunity to realise their climate-smart business concept. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the final of the What Wood You Do? innovation competition will now be broadcast live online.

The entries competing in the final are:

Biosorb: A cellulose-based technology that absorbs fat, bacteria and oil from air and water

Wood Tube: Patented paper studs that can replace steel studs in interior walls.

FineCell: New technology for producing nanocellulose in the form of a dry powder.

Nordluft: A drone-based distribution system for forestry and agriculture, which combines high-capacity drones, a ground truck and AI-powered control system.

Arboair: A forest scanning technology with 4K cameras and color shift analysis to detect infected or stressed trees.

At the final, the contestants will pitch their ideas to the jury, which consists of industry experts representing Paper Province, Gunnar Sundblad Foundation, Business Värmland, Stora Enso and Sveaskog.

View the event live here on 24 September at 13.00–17.00 CET (12:00–16:00 UK time), with a 45-minute break between 15.15 and 16.00 for jury deliberation.

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