Celebrating 70 years of manufacturing in Papua New Guinea this year, PNG Forest Products has long been an industry leader in Engineered Wood Products and is committed to building a better future through sustainable manufacturing practices.
All timber is sourced from renewable pine plantations managed by the PNG Forest Authority, with a focus on minimising waste to achieve maximum utilisation of the wood fibre.
“Traditionally, plywood manufacturers will peel the logs for the veneers down to a core of approximately 110mm, which they generally discard,” says Manager of Strategy and Development, Peter Robinson. “But at PNGFP we re-peel that core in a special spindleless lathe to about the thickness of a broom stick; in addition, we also join less-than-full sheets of veneer to create useable full sheets thereby maximising the recovery.”
“All wood waste is chipped and used as fuel for the Biomass Boiler producing steam for the veneer driers, plywood hot presses and kilns; and any residual sawdust is used at PNGFP’s poultry farm. So you can see we are serious about complete log utilisation.”
PNGFP also works in conjunction with the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to ensure that the best environmental practices are maintained.
In fact, PNG Forest Products is the only company in PNG that has achieved PEFC Chain of Custody accreditation on the basis of 100% controlled wood. PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is an international organisation based in Switzerland that promotes sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification.
As part of the company’s compliance with PEFC accreditation and certification, PNGFP’s environmental practices are audited annually and DEC conducts annual inspections as part of their operating permit conditions. PNGFP’s Chain of Custody certification demonstrates a commitment to sustainable forest management that is unique in this country.
As a further commitment to sustainability, the manufacturing facilities in Bulolo are powered by PNGFP’s own Hydro Power stations which they continue to invest in heavily. In 2023, PNGFP Hydro commissioned their fourth power station at Baime, feeding 11.6MW into PPL’s Ramu grid and raising their capacity to supply PPL up to 22MW.
“Our carbon footprint is extremely low due to the combination of electrical power from Hydro and heat from wood waste, whereas in Australia, for example, the plywood manufacturers are powered by coal fired power stations and they use gas for heating the driers and presses,” Robinson explains.
“Our combination of renewable timber resources processed with sustainable hydro power and biomass heat energy makes PNGFP’s engineered wood products truly and uniquely green.”
