A respite for sofas and spaghetti: Trump eases and delays tariffs

Copyright Evan Vucci/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved

By Una Hajdari

Published on 01/01/2026 - EURONEWS

Planned tariff hikes on imported furniture are pushed back a year, while punishing tariffs on Italian pasta are scaled down after months of negotiations.

President Donald Trump has eased pressure on two key import sectors — furniture and pasta — by delaying or scaling back steep tariffs shortly before they were due to take effect on 1 January, 2026.

For furniture, Trump has postponed planned tariff increases on certain imported home goods for one year, keeping existing duties in place while allowing further negotiations with trading partners.

On Wednesday Trump signed a proclamation delaying the scheduled increases — originally set to take effect on Thursday — until January 1, 2027.

The order preserves the current 25% tariff on “certain upholstered wooden products,” kitchen cabinets and vanities, rather than allowing it to rise to 30% for upholstered furniture and 50% for kitchen cabinets and vanities as previously directed.

“The United States continues to engage in productive negotiations with trade partners to address trade reciprocity and national security concerns with respect to imports of wood products,” the White House said in a statement announcing the move

The furniture tariffs were imposed in September 2025 under a broader push to reshape US trade relationships and protect domestic industries. In addition to the 25% on furniture and cabinets, the administration also placed a 10% duty on imported softwood timber and lumber late last year.

The higher rates that were set to begin this week would have hit imports from major suppliers like Vietnam and China particularly hard and come amid ongoing concern about rising consumer prices.

Separately, the US Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of some broad tariff measures imposed under national security authorities, a decision that could have wider implications for Trump’s trade strategy.

Relate

In contrast to the furniture delay the Trump administration has significantly reduced planned anti-dumping duties on Italian pasta, offering relief to several major brands after months of dispute.

The US Department of Commerce had initially proposed very high provisional anti-dumping duties — more than 91% — on certain imports of Italian pasta, on top of an existing 15% general tariff on EU food products.

Following a review and consultations with Italian authorities, the United States lowered those planned tariffs sharply. La Molisana will face a 2.26% duty, Garofalo will face a 13.98% duty and eleven other Italian producers will face 9.09% duties.

“The redefining of these tariff rates is a testament to the US authorities’ recognition of our companies’ effective will to cooperate,” Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Italy had been working with both the US government and the European Commission since October 2025 to find a solution to the dispute.

The US market remains crucial for Italian pasta producers. Exports of pasta to the United States were estimated at about €671 million in 2024, representing roughly 17% of Italy’s total pasta exports.

How You Can Help Save Boreal Forests in 2026

Want an easy New Years’ resolution? Buy 100% recycled or alternative fiber toilet paper instead of rolls made from virgin forest pulp.


White spruce taiga is seen in the Alaska Range of Alaska, United States.
(Photo by L.B. Brubaker/NOAA)

Brian Rodgers
Jan 01, 2026

OtherWords


North America’s boreal forests are crucial for wildlife and the climate, but we’re literally trashing them to make pulp for toilet paper and other disposable paper products.

Companies are clear-cutting a million acres a year, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The northern boreal forests are Earth’s largest terrestrial biome. They’re the breeding grounds for 3-5 billion migrating birds that populate our backyards. And they’re a key carbon sink, storing 20% of global forest carbon and 50% of global soil carbon.

Studies show these forests have been overharvested and degraded to such a degree that the ecological damage will be difficult to reverse. They’re increasingly beset by global warming, melting permafrost, fires (including multi-year, spontaneously reigniting “zombie fires”), and pests, which threaten to destroy them and release their carbon back into the atmosphere.

If every American bought just one roll of toilet paper made from recycled paper rather than a conventional forest-fiber roll, it would save 1.6 million trees, 1 billion gallons of water, and 800 million pounds of greenhouse gases.

The United Nations recently warned of an approaching tipping point that could turn them from carbon sinks to carbon sources. That would be catastrophic. The recent COP30 climate summit, held in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, was billed as “the forest COP.“ But its outcomes were dubious for tropical forests—and nonexistent for boreal forests.

But if climate delegates don’t protect them, consumers can—by buying 100% recycled or alternative fiber products instead of toilet paper made from virgin forest pulp.

A market for these alternatives is emerging. The US toilet paper industry is worth $42 billion, but a whopping 68% of US consumers surveyed want eco-friendly toilet paper made from recycled pulp, bamboo, or cornstalks.

If every American bought just one roll of toilet paper made from recycled paper rather than a conventional forest-fiber roll, it would save 1.6 million trees, 1 billion gallons of water, and 800 million pounds of greenhouse gases—the equivalent of taking 72,000 cars off the road for a year, NRDC found.

Eco-friendly toilet paper start-ups have a $1 billion toehold on the overall market so far—little more than 2%. But they’re growing fast. Imagine how many trees, how much water, and how many emissions we’d save if they gained a 68% share.

The big paper companies are imagining it, too. Procter & Gamble (P&G) makes Charmin, the top US toilet paper brand. This year it launched a bamboo version. That gives the company a green-sounding talk point, and a theoretical way into the growing alternative market. But it isn’t really available in stores and doesn’t do anything to change P&G’s bad practices.

It’s well documented that P&G makes regular Charmin by clear-cutting Canadian boreal forests for pulp, cutting down old-growth groves that have stood for a century or more. Only about 20% of these old-growth trees are left.

Any remnant wood left (called “slash”) after logging gets burned, and the land gets plowed and sprayed with glyphosate (RoundUp), eradicating formerly diverse ecosystems that caribou and birds depend on. They’re replaced with monoculture plantations of softwood trees planted in tight rows, worsening vulnerability to wildfires.

Yet P&G has the chutzpah to claim its slash-and-burn practices “absolutely prohibit deforestation” and “incorporate sustainability.” No wonder the company is being sued for greenwashing, with plaintiffs demanding it be held accountable for “egregious environmental destruction of the largest intact forest in the world” and making “false and misleading claims of environmental stewardship.”

Ultimately though, the power to change practices resides with consumers, not courts. Some 90 million Americans buy regular Charmin—and another 5 billion consumers worldwide buy P&G products. Collectively they have enormous power, provided they’re alerted to the problem and aren’t fooled by greenwashing tactics.

But if those conditions are met, consumers can save the boreal forests, one roll at a time.

U.S. lumber dependence gives Canada trade advantage

HEWERS OF WOOD, DRAWERS OF WATER

ByJoshua Santos

Published: December 24, 2025 

Canada is in a unique position to leverage America’s need for lumber as officials review the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in the New Year, according to a trade expert.

U.S. President Donald Trump claims the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada yet Canada produces about 25 per cent of all U.S. lumber demand. Nearly 90 per cent of softwood lumber is exported to the American market.

“The good news is they need our wood. We think that there’s an ability to make a deal at some point,” Daryl Swetlishoff, head of research at Raymond James Ltd. told BNN Bloomberg in an interview.

Softwood lumber tariffs now reached a combined 45 per cent after the U.S. added a 10 per cent tax to existing anti-dumping and countervailing duties. CUSMA ensures a large portion of goods remain tariff-free, however softwood lumber is specifically excluded from these protections.

While the U.S. relies on Canadian supply, Swetlishoff said Canada relies on the U.S. as its primary customer. He said the sheer volume of Canadian production makes diversification to markets in Europe or Asia difficult.


“We have a very efficient large industry and the reality is the U.S. will be the home for the lion’s share of our market for the foreseeable future,” said Swetlishoff.

The U.S. could open state-owned forests in Washington, Oregon and Idaho but it does not have enough capacity to mill, process and ship new timber, according to the Government of British Columbia.

Impact of tariffs


The Canadian lumber sector is currently facing massive tariffs following accusations of unfair trade practices by American lumber companies. British Columbia accounts for 50 per cent of Canada’s exports to the U.S. but has seen sawmills close.

“You’re seeing cash losses throughout the U.S. south, and we’re going to see curtailments manifest itself in that region as well,” said Swetlishoff.

He said valuations for lumber companies are near all-time lows, which makes some stocks attractive. He recommends companies like Canfor, Doman, and Stella Jones because of their strong balance sheets, good margins, and potential growth through acquisitions.

“The bad macro makes their targets quite attractive, and we see them all growing their top and bottom line through mergers and acquisitions over the next 12 to 18 months,” said Swetlishoff.

Help is on the way

Canada announced the Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program to invest over $9 million in projects to accelerate the adoption of innovative Canadian wood products such as mass timber.

The federal government previously announced a $1.2 billion to assist struggling softwood lumber companies. This includes a $500-million increase from the Softwood Lumber Guarantee Program, which provides businesses with essential access to government-backed loans.

With files from The Canadian Press
Joshua Santos
Journalist, BNNBloomberg.ca

CUSMA/USMCA/NAFTA 2.0

A tariff exemption was Canada’s salvation in 2025. It’s ‘absolutely’ at risk in 2026

ByThe Canadian Press
Published: December 22, 2025 

A sign for Duty Free at the Canada/U.S. border crossing in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., Thursday, April 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes (Graham Hughes)

OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign appeared to move at a breakneck pace towards Canada’s economy this year.

But beyond threats of double-digit tariff rates and sharp pain in manufacturing-heavy industries, a key exemption has allowed the majority Canadian goods to continue to cross the southern border duty-free.

Experts who spoke to The Canadian Press warned this saving grace for the economy is at risk in 2026 as North American trade officials prepare for a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement, or CUSMA.

“It would be a worst-case scenario of the (CUSMA) deal basically being eliminated or not renewed,” said Tony Stillo, director of Canada economics at Oxford Economics.

“And that would put the full weight of the current tariffs — without compliance or exemptions or carve-outs — on the economy.”


Over the course of 2025, the Trump administration levied waves of tariffs on different goods using various mechanisms and justifications.

In addition to steep sectoral specific tariffs on key industries like steel, aluminum and softwood lumber, the current blanket tariff on Canadian goods heading to the United States stands at 35 per cent.

But the vast majority of Canadian businesses exporting to the United States are not paying that tariff rate. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed 90 per cent of Canadian goods entered the States tariff-free as of July.

That’s because goods that are compliant with CUSMA are exempt from those blanket tariffs from the United States.

William Pellerin, international trade lawyer at McMillian LLP, said CUSMA compliance can be a straightforward or a “very, very complicated process.”

In essence, businesses can demonstrate their compliance with the trade pact by proving their product — a screwdriver, a sweater, a cabinet — was substantially made in Canada.

Pellerin said the idea of tariffs between North American trading partners runs counter to the agreement itself, but allowing for the CUSMA exemption is a workaround of sorts for the Trump administration.

Currently, only the 35 per cent blanket tariffs — not sectoral-specific tariffs on the steel or aluminum industries, for example — are eligible for the CUSMA exemption.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has held up the CUSMA exemption as one of the factors giving Canada, as he has called it, “the best trade deal of any country with the U.S.”

Factoring in the CUSMA exemption and ongoing tariffs on hard-hit industries, the Bank of Canada said in its updated October forecasts that it pegs the effective or average U.S. tariff rate on Canada at 5.9 per cent, up from near-zero at the start of the year.

“U.S. trade policy remains unpredictable, and tariffs could increase or broaden in the near term. The upcoming review of CUSMA is also an ongoing uncertainty,” the central bank’s third-quarter monetary policy report read.


Oxford Economics pegs the average tariff rate a little higher at 6.3 per cent, Stillo said.

Earlier in 2025, the firm was forecasting a sharp recession would hit Canada in the wake of tariff disruption. But Stillo said the CUSMA exemption and Ottawa ending the bulk of its counter-tariffs in September pulled the economy out of quicksand.

If the CUSMA exemption were to end, Stillo said Canada’s economy would face “longer-term scarring.”

“The size of the economy would be lower for several years, probably permanently,” he said.

Pellerin said the 2026 CUSMA review is meant to be just that — a review, not a renegotiation. It’s intended to be a chance for the parties to rectify a few issues with the agreement, but the Trump administration has signalled a willingness to walk away from the agreement if the U.S. doesn’t secure certain concessions from Canada and Mexico.

Pellerin said with ongoing tariffs already running against the spirit of the agreement, the CUSMA exemption itself “absolutely could be at risk” in talks next year.

“I view that very much as a nuclear option,” he said.

Pellerin said he expects some form of permanent tariffs are “possible if not likely” at the end of the 2026 review, possibly in the form of side letters between Canada and the U.S.

Carney said last week he doesn’t expect to secure any separate deals on sectoral tariffs in the near future, believing those talks will run up against the CUSMA review process.

Stillo, too, said Oxford Economics’ baseline forecast for 2026 calls for a renegotiation that leaves lower but ongoing U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and agricultural industries in Canada.

Both Stillo and Pellerin said the Trump administration appears to be wising up to the pain tariffs are inflicting on U.S. industry and consumers. In November, the United States rolled back tariffs on coffee, beef and other consumer staples facing sharp inflation in recent months.

“These negative implications of the higher tariffs are starting to hit home and maybe they’re starting to soften their view on tariffs as a blunt instrument for their industrial strategy,” Stillo said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press

Carney says sectoral tariff talks likely folding into CUSMA review as U.S. makes new trade demands

ByRachel Aiello

 December 19, 2025 


Prime Minister Mark Carney says if U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to sit down as soon as this weekend to “hammer out” sectoral deals to ease tariffs hitting certain industries, Canada is “ready,” while conceding the chances of short-term relief for steel, aluminum and lumber sectors is unlikely.

Carney said that, given trade talks remain terminated, the federal government anticipates those negotiations will roll in to the broader Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review process kicking off in 2026.

A statement Thursday from the Prime Minister’s Office said Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, will meet with U.S. counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions.

Trump called off negotiations after the Ontario government ran an anti-tariff ad in the U.S. in the fall.

“We’re less likely, we’re unlikely, given the time horizons coming together, to have a sectoral agreement,” Carney told reporters on Thursday, speaking alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Parliament Hill where the two leaders signed a new federal-provincial co-operation accord.

“Although, if the United States wants to come back on that in those areas, we’re always ready,” Carney said

.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney take part in a signing ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. They are joined by Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy, back left, and Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon, back right. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Pressed on whether this means sectoral deals are off the table, the prime minister said, while he remains “busy” building up the domestic economy in the meantime, agreements are still possible from Canada’s perspective.

“If the U.S. wanted to sit down this weekend, we could sit down this weekend and hammer out sectoral deals. I’m confident of that from our side,” Carney said. “But there is now a process the U.S. is doing consultations for what they call USMCA, we call CUSMA. They’ll finish those, and then that will roll into this review process.”

Worried about CUSMA concessions?

That CUMSA review is shaping up to be another round of tough talks, with U.S. officials signalling Canada will need to make concessions.

On Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer – speaking to Congress about the administration’s strategy for approaching the six-year joint review – said that while CUSMA has delivered benefits, Washington is not prepared to automatically extend it without addressing “specific” issues.

“(CUSMA) has been successful to a certain degree,” he said, citing the certainty for North American trade it has provided, according to a document shared after Greer’s closed-door meeting. Though he also said the deal’s gains do not outweigh what he described as “structural shortcomings.”

“USTR will keep the President’s options open, negotiating firmly to resolve the issues identified, but only recommending renewal if resolution can be achieved,” Greer’s prepared remarks state.

Asked about the Americans’ wish list of sorts on Thursday, the prime minister wouldn’t say whether he feels more or less discouraged about the upcoming talks based on what the U.S. intends to put on the table.

“We will always pursue an agreement that is in the interest of Canadian workers, Canadian families, and we’ll only sign an agreement that’s consistent with that,” Carney said. He also committed to working with any province or territory that may be affected by potential adjustments to the trilateral deal.


Stating that there are “many” examples of where working together makes all three countries’ economies stronger, “we need a structure that aligns the incentives across both sides of the border, particularly on the American side, that will provide consistency of that market access.”

USTR cites dairy, streaming, booze bans

Indicating there will be both bilateral and trilateral negotiations to try and iron out respective issues with Mexico and Canada, Greer said the U.S. will specifically be pushing this country to expand access to its supply managed dairy market.

While Canada allows a limited amount of U.S. dairy to enter tariff-free under CUSMA, Greer told U.S. lawmakers that Canadian policies “unfairly restrict market access” for American products.

Greer also cited Canada’s Online Streaming Act – which he said “discriminates against U.S. tech and media firms,” and the Online News Act, as irritants. Both Trudeau-era laws bring streaming and digital news platforms under Canadian cultural and broadcasting rules.

Another area irking the Americans, according to Greer, is Canadian provinces’ bans on U.S. alcohol products.

A half-empty shelf of American whiskey is pictured at the 100 Queens Quay East LCBO in Toronto on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor (Laura Proctor)

Weighing in on that aspect on Thursday, premier Ford said Ontario wineries and distillers are having “a record year” and should the two countries reach a deal that works for both countries, he’d be “more than happy” to resume stocking Kentucky bourbon.

“But until then, we’re going to hold off,” Ford said. “Full confidence in the prime minister and his negotiating with President Trump.”

Trump’s trade chief also flagged “discriminatory” procurement rules in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, “complicated customs registration” for Canadian recipients of U.S. exports, and Alberta’s “unfair treatment of electrical power distribution providers in Montana.”

The prime minister called these issues “a subset… of a much bigger discussion,” and re-affirmed his government’s vow to protect Canada’s supply management system.

Later Thursday, Carney held a First Ministers meeting. With international trade, including with the U.S. but also other countries on the agenda, it was expected that Greer’s cross-Canada list of irritants would also be raised. A senior government source told CTV News after the conversation concluded that the focus was almost entirely on CUSMA and Canada’s broader trade agenda.

With files from CTV News’ Tammy Ibrahimpoor and Abigail Bimma
Rachel Aiello
National Correspondent, CTV News

U.S. lists demands Canada must meet to extend CUSMA

By Tammy Ibrahimpoor
Updated: December 17, 2025


U.S. trade officials are suggesting that Canada will have to address specific and structural issues if Washington is to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

U.S. trade officials are signalling that Canada will need to make policy changes if it wants long-term certainty under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), as the trade deal comes up for mandatory review next year.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told members of U.S. Congress Wednesday that, while the trade deal has delivered benefits for American exporters, Washington is not prepared to automatically extend it for another 16 years without addressing “specific and structural issues.”Will Trump keep CUSMA trade deal? What LeBlanc thinks

“(CUSMA) has been successful to a certain degree,” he said, according to a document shared after Greer’s closed-door meeting, adding the gains do not outweigh what he described as “structural shortcomings.”

The United States is calling on Canada to expand access to its dairy market and address concerns about exports of certain industry products.

A settlement panel has rejected complaints from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office over how Canada is allocating its dairy import quotas. (Ryan Remiorz/THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES)

While Canada allows a limited amount of U.S. dairy to enter tariff-free under CUSMA, Greer told U.S. lawmakers that Canadian policies “unfairly restrict market access” for American products.

Fact-checking Trump’s claims that Canada has 300% tariffs on U.S. dairy

Greer also addressed Canada’s Online Streaming Act and Online News Act, which bring both streaming and news platforms under Canadian cultural and broadcasting rules.

“Canada insists on maintaining its Online Streaming Act, a law that discriminates against U.S. tech and media firms, as well as a number of other measures that restrict digital services trade,” Greer said.

Other Canadian measures flagged by Greer include provincial bans on U.S. alcohol products, procurement rules in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, and what he describes as “complicated customs registration for Canadian recipients of U.S. exports.”

Bottles of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, line the shelves of a liquor outlet in Montpelier, Vt., in this Dec. 5, 2011 file photo. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Greer also pointed to a dispute involving what he called, “Alberta’s unfair treatment of electrical power distribution providers in Montana,” saying it must be addressed as part of the CUSMA review.

In March, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative listed Alberta’s non-profit electrical grid operator (AESO) as a trade barrier, claiming Montana-based electricity producers aren’t being afforded fair access to the Alberta market.

“For example, during times of surplus or transmission congestion, AESO favours electricity generated within Alberta over equally priced U.S. power flowing across the border,” the report said. “The AESO has also proposed additional fees and other restrictions on imported energy.”

Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf is sworn into cabinet, in Edmonton, Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.

Alberta Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said at the time that the province does not “treat generators in the U.S. or any other jurisdiction any differently than generators within Alberta.”Montana electricity generators not treated unfairly: Alberta utilities minister

Neudorf added that the report might have had something to do with Alberta having imported less energy from Montana over the past two years, while increasing electrical exports to the state.

The AESO’s 2024 Annual Market Statistics report still listed Montana as a net exporter of electricity to Alberta despite the reduced imports. It also says Alberta imported more power in 2024 from Montana than it did from British Columbia or Saskatchewan.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

UBCO researchers apply body preservation technique to wood

Researchers test plastination to improve cedar strength and sustainability

University of British Columbia Okanagan campus

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image: 

UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability is one of several buildings on the Vancouver campus where Western red cedar is used as a building material. Researchers at the Okanagan campus are looking at ways to make the wood stronger by using a plastination preservation technique. Don Erhardt.

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Credit: Don Erhardt, UBC

A technique used for the long-term preservation of human and animal remains is now being tested on one of Canada’s most iconic building materials—the Western red cedar.

Plastination, originally designed to embalm the dead, is now being used to improve the functionality and durability of advanced composite materials.

A team from UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering has been experimenting with the technique and previously published a study that examined the plastination of bamboo to create a strong and durable composite building material.

The researchers have taken that work one step further, and in their latest study demonstrated the technique can also be used on Western red cedar to make it stronger and protect the wood from water damage and decay. The study was published in the journal Materials.

“Western red cedar is prized for its abundance and renewability, though its tendency to absorb moisture is a major drawback,” says doctoral student Olivia Margoto, a researcher with UBC’s Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute. “By applying plastination, we’re preserving the wood’s structure from the inside out—maintaining its strength while dramatically improving its resistance to water.”

Plastination is a new method for managing moisture in wood by replacing water in the cellular structure with a silicone compound to create a durable, hydrophobic barrier that resists swelling, rotting and cracking.

Unlike conventional wood protection treatments—which typically rely on surface coatings, bulk impregnation or chemical treatments—plastination offers a fundamentally different approach by first dehydrating the wood using acetone and infusing it with a compatible polymer.

This replaces water within the cells and preserves the anatomical architecture previously occupied by moisture, explains study supervisor Dr. Abbas Milani, Professor in the School of Engineering. Most importantly, the treatment does not compromise tensile strength and tends to improve the material’s flexibility.

“Plastination offers a powerful alternative to traditional wood preservatives, which often rely on toxic chemicals or short-lived coatings,” adds Dr. Milani. “This technique could extend the lifespan of natural wood products significantly, without sacrificing environmental performance.”

In their recent work, the researchers used advanced imaging and spectroscopy tools to confirm that the silicone deeply saturated the cedar’s microscopic channels, reducing water absorption by nearly 60 per cent and increasing surface hydrophobicity by more than 45 per cent.

They found that Western red cedar performed better than their earlier work on bamboo, likely because of the very different microstructure of these two natural materials. Western red cedar is a softwood composed of long, thin cells with microstructural dimensions up to seven times smaller than those of bamboo.

The research is supported by industrial partner NetZero Enterprises Inc., a Penticton-based company with a number of global sustainability projects underway. The company is collaborating on three projects with UBC researchers, and holds the Canadian and American patents on the plastination technique.

Other researchers on this project include Netzero Enterprises CEO Grant Bogyo and UBCO students Madisyn Szypula and Victor Yang.

This process shows significant moisture resistance in Western red cedar, which is encouraging for North American construction applications. Future work will explore ways to scale up the method, recover and reuse solvents, and substitute bio-based polymers for silicone to further reduce environmental impact.

“Nature has already given us incredible materials,” Margoto adds. “Our job is to make them last longer in a safe, sustainable and economical way.”

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Journal

Materials

DOI

10.3390/ma18184353 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Towards a New Plastination Technique for Moisture Management of Western Red Cedar Without Loss of Strength and with Enhanced Stability

 

Bamboo tissue paper may not be as eco-friendly as you think

North Carolina State University

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In recent years, Chinese tissue paper made from bamboo has emerged as a trendy choice for eco-friendly shoppers. However, new research suggests these bamboo paper products may not offer significant climate benefits over tissue produced in the United States and, in some cases, may be more detrimental to the environment.

The findings are detailed in a new paper from North Carolina State University researchers, which compared the carbon footprint of bamboo tissue paper manufactured in China with that of conventional tissue paper manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. The researchers found that, while using bamboo biomass itself did not produce more greenhouse gases than traditional wood, the fossil fuel-heavy power grid in China led to significant increases in emissions compared with cleaner fuel sources used in North America.

“As far as emissions go, the technology used to create hygiene tissue paper is far more important than the type of fiber it’s made from,” said Naycari Forfora, lead author of the study and Ph.D candidate in the NC State College of Natural Resources. “Because the Chinese power grid is so reliant on coal for power, emissions throughout the entire tissue supply chain are higher than what we saw with the wood-based option.”

Ronalds Gonzalez, an associate professor at NC State University and co-author of the paper, said that manufacturing tissue paper from bamboo is not meaningfully different from using other wood sources.

“Bamboo is a crop like any other, and it goes through the same production processes as Brazilian or Canadian wood,” Gonzalez said. “Consumers often think of bamboo as a ‘tree-free’ option, but the trees used to make tissue are planted and harvested the same way that bamboo is. When you then factor in how coal-reliant the Chinese mills are, you start to see how emissions from this product are actually higher than others.”

Researchers found that Chinese bamboo tissue was responsible for nearly 2,400 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per ton of tissue produced, compared to 1,824 kgCO2eq/ton for wood-based U.S. tissue. Chinese bamboo also underperformed in several environmental categories, including smog formation, respiratory effects and ecotoxicity. Of note, these differences largely disappeared when bamboo production occurred in areas with clean electrical grids, reinforcing the finding that technological improvements are significantly more impactful than a change in fiber type when developing decarbonization strategies.

The authors are members of the Sustainable & Alternative Fibers Initiative (SAFI) at NC State, the world’s largest coalition dedicated to advancing knowledge on the sustainability of both conventional and alternative fibers. SAFI brings together more than 30 local and global partners from industry, academia, and government to collaboratively drive innovation and responsible fiber development.

The paper, “Comparative life cycle assessment of bamboo-containing and wood-based hygiene tissue: Implications of fiber sourcing and conversion technologies,” is published in Cleaner Environmental Systems. Co-authors include Rhonald Ortega, Isabel Urdaneta, Ivana Azuaje, Keren A. Vivas, Hasan Jameel, and Richard Venditti of NC State.

-pitchford-

Note to editors: The abstract of the paper follows.

Comparative life cycle assessment of bamboo-containing and wood-based hygiene tissue: Implications of fiber sourcing and conversion technologies

Authors: Naycari Forfora, Ronalds Gonzalez, Rhonald Ortega, Isabel Urdaneta, Ivana Azuaje, Keren A. Vivas, Hasan Jameel, and Richard Venditti of NC State

Published: Sep. 23 in Advanced Functional Materials

DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100337                 

Abstract: This study assesses the environmental impact of producing consumer bath tissue (CBT) in the United States using Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) and Canadian northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) market pulps, in comparison to bamboo-based CBT from China. Additionally, the analysis includes considerations of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration from plant growth, and the biogenic global warming potential (GWPbio) based on biomass rotation periods.

Results indicate a cradle-to-grave carbon footprint (CF) of 1824 kg CO2eq/air-dry ton (ADt) for US CBT (70 % BEK/30 % NBSK) using Light Dry Creped (LDC) technology. Substituting BBK for BEK/NBSK increases CF to 2041 kg CO2eq/ADt, with Chinese manufactured CBT at 2400 kg CO2eq/ADt. Using Creped Trough Air Drying (CTAD), CF rises to 2531 and 2739 kg CO2eq/ADt for BEK-NBSK and BEK-BBK mixtures, respectively. Including SOC factors do not change the conclusions. While the GWPbio factors are highly dependent on the time horizon considered. These results emphasize production technologies’ critical role in tissue sustainability and challenge bamboo’s perceived environmental advantages.

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Journal

Cleaner Environmental Systems

DOI

10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100337 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Article Title

Comparative life cycle assessment of bamboo-containing and wood-based hygiene tissue: Implications of fiber sourcing and conversion technologies