Forest Products Society - www.forestprod.org
FOCUSING ON THE INTERSECTION OF SUSTAINABILITY & AI
October 22-24, 2025
2025 Conference Speakers
Keynote Speaker
President & CEO
Hexion
Revolutionizing Wood Panel Manufacturing: How AI and Sustainability Are Shaping the Industry’s Future
The wood panel industry is no longer waiting for the future—it’s building it. And at the intersection of innovation and environmental responsibility stands Hexion, where technology and sustainability are engineered into every solution.
In this forward-looking keynote, we’ll explore how AI is not only transforming panel production but also driving measurable sustainability gains. From optimizing the molecular design of resins and waxes to enabling intelligent process automation, Hexion’s innovations are helping manufacturers significantly reduce energy use, minimize waste, and make smarter use of renewable and recycled materials—without compromising on quality or performance.
Led by Hexion President and CEO Michael Lefenfeld, a champion of sustainable innovation, this session will reveal how data-driven chemistry and next-gen manufacturing practices are creating a future where higher throughput, lower emissions, and enhanced circularity are no longer aspirations—they're the new industry standard.
Whether you're streamlining production, sourcing responsibly, or building greener infrastructure, Hexion is the partner turning AI and sustainability into real-world impact. Join us to see the smartest, cleanest, and most resilient AI-driven breakthroughs already redefining what’s possible.
Plenary Speakers
Dan Current
Head of Application Engineering
Engineered Wood Adhesives, North America
Henkel
Jignesh Sheth
Enabling Mass Timber Growth With Polyurethane Adhesives
One component liquid moisture polyurethane adhesives developed by Henkel meet the highest North American certification standards for load bearing engineered wood products while delivering enhanced health and safety, and sustainability benefits. In this talk, we will discuss how Henkel is collaborating with industry and academia partners to expand the use of polyurethane adhesives in new applications to enable growth of mass timber.
Manager of Product Development
Furniture and Building Components, North America
Henkel
Professor, Sustainable Biomaterials
Co-Director, Wood Based Composites Center
Virginia Tech University
Has Glue Changed, Or Have We?
Glue has helped to change and improve the human enterprise, and while glue has ancient origins, this discussion starts in the 1930’s when the petrochemical economy was on the verge of colossal growth. The first petrochemical resins, phenol-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde transformed the wood industry and virtually eliminated log waste. When PF and UF first appeared, wood scientists were trying to explain how and why wood generates formaldehyde during thermo-chemical treatments. It turned out that lignin was the principal source of formaldehyde, and this explanation confirmed lignin’s phenylpropanoid structure. By the early 1990’s, formaldehyde-emissions regulations were well established, and the glue-makers innovated. They improved amino-resin technologies and reduced emissions, all while growing the industry. The early 1990‘s also marks the period when isocyanate binders (pMDI) were emerging into the oriented strandboard industry. While the adoption of pMDI was complicated by several factors, isocyanate binders stimulated wood adhesion research. Furthermore, and at that time, the U.S. federal government was also stimulating wood adhesion research. Today things are very different. This discussion will tie these various events together in the context of my personal research experiences, and we will attempt to imagine the future!
Director of InnoRenew CoE & Professor of Wood Science
University of Primorska
Lifelong Learning Needs In The Sector To Transform The Wood Industry To Industry 5.0 - Are Wood Adhesives To Lead The Path?
The wood-based sector, employing over 8 million individuals across Europe, stands at a pivotal crossroads in its evolution toward Industry 5.0, a paradigm that emphasizes human-centric, sustainable, and resilient industrial transformation. Central to this shift is the role of wood adhesives, not only as technical enablers of circularity and eco-design in wood-based construction, but also as symbolic drivers of integration, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This plenary talk explores how lifelong learning and vocational training must be reimagined to support the sector’s transition. With an ageing workforce and a growing skills gap, the urgency to upskill and reskill through modern, captivating, and interdisciplinary education programs is paramount. The talk will highlight the strategic importance of microcredentials, mutual recognition of qualifications, and the development of advanced pedagogical infrastructure to
foster a new generation of professionals equipped with digital, sustainable, and managerial competencies. Wood adhesives, as a cornerstone of product performance and sustainability, will be examined not only in their technical capacity but also as a metaphor for the binding force of knowledge, innovation, and collaboration across the sector, while presenting the New European Bauhaus Academy.
Eva Malmström
Professor
Department Fibre and Polymer Technology/Wallenberg Wood Science Center/BioGlue Centre
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Bio-Based Wood Adhesives From Side Streams
Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) adhesives are widely used for wood bonding but are limited by their fossil-based origin and poor water resistance. Chitosan-graft-PVAc adhesives that were synthesized via emulsion polymerization to enhance water resistance and reduce fossil content. Two types of chitosan —high and low molecular weight—were evaluated. While high molecular weight chitosan improved water resistance, its high viscosity limited the adhesive's solid content to 17 wt%. Using hydrolyzed (low molecular weight) chitosan enabled formulations with up to 34 wt% solid content and 40 wt% chitosan. Complete grafting of VAc onto chitosan reduced polymer chain mobility, improving creep resistance and bond strength. Adhesives with chitosan outperformed conventional PVAc in both dry and wet bond strength, demonstrating chitosan's potential as a sustainable, high-performance component in wood adhesives. More details will be conveyed in the presentation.
Professor
University of British Columbia
Renewable Nanoparticles For Sustainable Water-Based Adhesives
We demonstrate proteins as compatibilizers and eco-friendly dispersant of renewable nanoparticles, including cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals which promote contact adhesion. Along with other nanoparticles based on chitin, a range of possibilities is unveiled to demonstrate the generic effect of the self-assembly of the particles toward high noncovalent adhesive shear strength. The adhesion develops following evaporation-induced self-assembly during gel-to-solid transition, leading to multiscaled and ordered superstructured lamellae. The reversible assembly of the adhesive is highlighted for its potential in reducing damage in high-strength but brittle construction elements. The results point to the role of the high axial aspect nanoparticles, ultimately acting as key component of systems similar to the bioadhesives found in nature that utilize high order and hierarchical assemblies. A further extension of the work considered the interfacial interactions between nanochitin and proteins (BSA, lysozyme in polymeric and amyloid forms), which act as bio-cements with remarkable properties. The results are rationalized in the context of current efforts to standardize the measurement of adhesive strength and bond formation. Overall, the proposed biobased systems are expected to expand current developments in the design of fully green, cost-effective, and aqueous-based adhesives.
Head of Wood Products
AFRY Management Consulting
Good Times for Sustainable Adhesives? Outlook On the Wood-based Panel Industry
The global situation of the wood-based panel industry has been very demanding for a while. Is it also a good time for sustainable adhesives? The answer is: yes but it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!
A successful implementation depends on meeting the customer’s needs, identifying the right product and adding on top the region and location where your solution can be more competitive towards classic adhesives. Linking this with market insights and cost benchmarking shows where the biggest potential can be found.
The stagnation in the construction sector worldwide affects the demand for engineered wood products, flooring, furniture and construction boards and enables discussions about adhesive concepts that have not been interesting during the boom phase.
This presentation will give a brief outlook on the wood-based panel industry worldwide considering the potential use of sustainable adhesives.