Woodio, known for its ecological bathroom furniture, is the winner of the 2025 Metsä360 Award. The company’s innovation is a fully waterproof wood composite: a combination of wood chips and a resin-based bonding agent. The material has been manufactured using the by-products of the forest industry that would have been burned otherwise.
According to the Award Jury, Woodio’s products combine innovation, design and sustainable development. The jury believes that the products change people’s perception of the potential uses of wood-based material. They also see opportunities for using the material beyond the bathroom market.
“Woodio has developed sustainable and highly refined design products from the by-products of the wood processing industry. The products represent a strong Metsä360 spirit by finding significant added value for the raw material,” says Esko Kolli, talousneuvos (Finnish honorary title), representative of the Marjatta and Eino Kolli Foundation.
Compared to ceramic furniture, the carbon footprint of Woodio products is up to 80% smaller. The ecological edge of the products is based on the low consumption of water and energy during production, the bio-based nature of the products, their light weight and reused materials. The design of the furniture is award-winning.
This year, the company established a new factory in Lahti and is investing heavily in the European market.
The winner of the Metsä360 Award was selected by an award jury including Martti Malmivirta, board governance professional; Eveliina Pokela, Director of the Forest Academy for Decision-Makers; Sipe Santapukki, musician; and Kari Sinivuori, CEO of Uute Scientific.
The competition highlights forest-based innovations
The other award candidates were Nordtreat, manufacturer of bio-based fire retardants, and VVR Wood, specialist in the manufacture of wooden elements used in industrial construction.
“Finland must be able to produce products with higher added value instead of supplying raw materials to be used elsewhere. This is why we highlight forest-based innovations and companies working on them,” says Taija Hämäläinen, Research Director at LUT University.
The Metsä360 Award showcases actions that support increasing the added value of forests. The sixth annual award is presented in cooperation with LUT University and the Marjatta and Eino Kolli Foundation. In previous year, the award has been won by Uute Scientific, which developed a forest-based microbial extract, Arbonaut, which maps forest resource data, the mycoprotein manufacturing process of eniferBio, wood-based carbon by Stora Enso and the Sleep Outdoors Night campaign by Suomen Latu.
Kouvola, Turku and Pyhäjärvi awarded in the competition for middle school students
On the videos produced in the Metsä360 Competition for middle school students, young people explain how forest-based products are present in their everyday lives.
The winner of the competition was from Kouvola for the third consecutive year. The video produced by the Kymenlaakson Steinerkoulu school showcases the significance of forests in young people’s lives in an insightful and fun way. The jury praises the high quality of the video, the pupils’ deep engagement with the topic and the news-broadcast format.
The Puolalan koulu school from Turku won the second prize, and the Salmen koulu school from Pyhäjärvi was awarded the third prize.
The award jury included Nina Kykkänen, Service Manager, and Leena Ikonen, LUMA Coordinator from LUT Junior University as well as Siiri Mertakorpi, Planning Officer of Media Services from LUT School of Engineering Sciences.
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