Three Platowood products can now be found with category 1 dates in the National Environmental Database 

In 1972, in the middle of the oil crisis, a way to make wood rot-resistant is discovered by chance. That year, Shell Research conducts research into extracting oil from wood. The research fails, however, and Shell quits. Researcher Herman Ruyter does discover something else. In 1989, he describes the hydrothermal modification process of wood for the first time in a scientific publication. It is the start of the company Platowood. From a startup of inventors and lab technicians, Platowood transforms over the past decades into an international producer of sustainable and platonized wood for architects and other specifiers. Three products can now be found with Category 1 data in the National Environmental Database.

The name Platowood comes from the code name of the research behind the company: PLATO, an abbreviation for Providing Lasting Advanced Timber Option. Now the hydro-thermal modification process that makes wood rot-resistant is called “platonizing. General manager Bart Raymann tells us what this means.

"Other processes in which wood is treated often consist only of drying and heating, sometimes to 200 to 230 degrees. In platonizing, we boil, dry and bake the wood. This is done at relatively low temperatures. As a result, the wood retains its cell structure and new stable compounds are created. The extra process step compared to thermal modification makes our wood stronger and more resilient. The wood absorbs less moisture, reducing shrinkage and swelling. It also prevents later fungal growth because sugars are broken down. Without using chemical additives, we can thus enhance the good properties of wood and the wood can continue to be used outdoors untreated."

Transformation process

Platowood uses fast-growing wood from sustainably managed forests. Such as Fraké, a fast-growing hardwood species from West Africa. "This wood was previously not harvested at all because it rotted quickly. With our process, we transform it into a usable material. In the forests where it comes from, only three or four trees are taken out per hectare, no more. Then that spot is left alone again for 30 years. In the time that the wood hangs on the facade, new trees grow again. That happens automatically in the jungle, you don't have to plant those trees."

Better than CO2 neutral

Platowood is actively working on its carbon footprint. "We have no gas connection on our premises.We only use steam for our production process, which we get supplied from the power plant around the corner.And with more than 3,000 solar panels, we provide our own electricity.This makes us more than CO2 neutral.Our wood stores more CO2 than we emit."

Continuous research

"Our credo is smart, inspired and tough.From these values, we devise new, innovative applications and continually search for opportunities to become more sustainable. In the fire retardant world, for example, a lot is happening at the moment. After a long search, we managed to find a biological fire retardant that does not contain any harmful substances. We now have our wood treated with that."

"We also work with a biological, waterproof glue and are now in a research process with the manufacturer of this glue to see if you can reclaim this glue back to its original raw material. We have an autoclave (ed. steam sterilizer) here for that purpose. Innovating for more sustainability is really in our DNA and we do as much as possible in-house. In our production plant in Arnhem."

With category 1 data in the NMD

With the LCAs under our belt, the step to inclusion in the National Environmental Database was a small one. "We hope this will make it even easier for architects to find us and prescribe more easily.Another nice thing is that it is now public, substantiated and clear what we do.The Environmental Cost Indicator (EQI), which summarizes all environmental effects in a single score in euros, makes your products easily comparable with others.We have now started with three products, but more are sure to follow."

Intrinsic motivation

Bart thinks it's a great development that sustainability has become a prerequisite in construction."I do think that the intention of sustainability is now still very much under a magnifying glass.You have to document and certify all kinds of things to prove that you are sustainable. But shouldn't that just be in the DNA?We think in terms of sustainability.Making the world more beautiful together.That drive to do the right thing well is very strong.I hope that in more and more companies that intrinsic motivation will prevail."