Summa Wonen & Design is committed to sustainable wood recycling in education

Summa Wonen & Design has set itself the goal of recycling wood waste from practical training courses efficiently and responsibly. They are collaborating with the Wood Loop Foundation to achieve this. A logical step for a program that is increasingly integrating sustainability into its curriculum.

The Netherlands aims to be fully circular by 2050; this means the Dutch economy is structured in such a way that raw materials and products are continuously reused, minimizing waste. And that doesn't start with large companies or government agencies. "It starts with the new generation of professionals," emphasizes instructor Joris van der Zanden of Summa Wonen & Design.

Students at Summa Wonen & Design work with wood daily. This process creates residual materials, which have often been difficult to reuse. Thanks to Wood Loop, this wood will now be collected separately. Waste wood will be collected according to fixed routes, without the need for complicated or expensive systems. It will then be reprocessed into new particleboard. "It's an accessible way to truly integrate sustainability into the curriculum," explains instructor Patrick Daniels.

This way, the 'waste' re-enters the production chain. "We want to teach students not only how to make furniture, but also how to handle materials responsibly. In this way, we want to inspire them to become part of the solution," emphasizes Van der Zanden. "That's part of good craftsmanship."

In less than four months, the Living & Design students have already collected over 2500 kilos of wood. This has saved them over 1965 kilos of CO2. "We receive a monthly overview, so it's immediately tangible for the students. It's great," says Van der Zanden.

Through its partnership with Wood Loop, Summa is actively participating in the circular wood supply chain. "Students not only learn why sustainability is important but also see what it looks like in practice. They gain insight into raw material flows, logistics, and materials management; knowledge that will become increasingly important in their future careers. This way, our students learn that waste isn't the end point, but rather the beginning of something new. And we need to plant that seed in education," Daniels emphasizes.

Want to know more about Wood Loop or the collaboration with Summa? Visit www.woodloop.nl or contact the Summa Living & Design course.