We’re taking big steps on our sustainability journey at Speed – starting in March 2025, a large portion of the company’s wood waste will get a new life as furniture! Through a partnership with Stena Recycling, the wood will be recycled and used in the production of new particle boards, becoming raw material for the furniture industry.
Previously, Speed’s wood waste – mostly packaging material – was sent for energy recovery. This meant the material was burned to produce district heating and electricity, a process where the resource was essentially consumed. But now that’s changing.
Instead of being incinerated, the wood will still be crushed at Speed’s Borås facility before being transported to Stena Recycling. From there, the process changes: the material will be quality-checked, finely crushed, and sorted before becoming raw material for particle board production. In this way, the wood becomes part of the circular economy and is reused in new products.
The impact of this change is significant. Speed generates a lot of wood waste – as much as 36% of all our waste is wood. Previously, 63% of that went to energy recovery; now that share will drop to just 10%. By reusing wood instead of burning it, Speed takes an important step toward more sustainable resource management.
Speed is the first company in Borås to recycle wood waste, paving the way for others to follow. Wood waste sent for incineration previously earned Speed compensation. Now, when it’s recycled into new wood products, that compensation disappears – but the long-term gain is clear: by collaborating and finding new solutions, we as a company can create real change. With this initiative, Speed shows that waste doesn’t have to be the end – it can be a new beginning.
Wood waste goes into the crusher for compaction – we don’t want to transport a lot of air.
From now on, the wood will be recycled and turned into furniture.
READ MORE ABOUT SPEED'S SUSTAINABILITY WORK