Liukko, T., Salila, T., Platt, S. and Kärki, T. 2007. Wood Plastic Composites in Europe: an Introduction to Wood Plastic Composite Markets and Products. Baltic Forestry 13 (1): 131-136 (Brief Report)
This paper deals with markets and product applications of wood plastic composites in Europe. At the present moment there are only a few industrial manufactures of Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) in Europe. The manufactures are usually small and specified in certain products, which is contradictory to the North American manufacturing structure. A WPC is considered as a competitive material mainly in the field of the window and door industry and outdoor furniture products. The first part of this paper deals briefly with the history of WPC as a product and introduces a general description on the production process. The second part of the paper presents European market trends and market segmentation and some common product and sales attributes for WPCs.
Key words: wood plastic composite, markets, wooden products