As brands move away from plastic, they are turning to wood-based packaging and textiles. But this creates a new problem: forests are already under pressure. The world has lost 489 million hectares since 1990, and demand for wood is expected to rise from 4 billion to 6 billion cubic meters by 2050. The article highlights a major carbon accounting flaw: biogenic carbon in wood is treated as neutral, so harvest emissions are not counted, even though they amount to 3.5-4.2 billion tons of CO2 per year, more than aviation. Certification and recycling are not enough. Certified forests cover only a tenth of global forest area, and recycled cardboard is already oversupplied. The author argues for agricultural residues like wheat straw as a scalable alternative, and points to next-gen fibers that can meet demand without deepening deforestation. For companies serious about net zero, the fiber source matters as much as the plastic exit.
