“Our goal is to build a sustainable ecosystem of materials”

A global brand in the wood-based panel industry, Kastamonu Entegre steers the industry not only with its strong position in the market, but also with its innovative approach and sustainability-first perspective.

Kastamonu Entegre's CEO Haluk Yıldız remarked that they aim to create an environmentally friendly and sustainable ecosystem of materials in Türkiye for the sake of the industry's future and said, “We strive to build new and innovative growth areas by giving the due importance to R&D. We focus on circular solutions and biobased products such as the use of recycled materials. We develop projects in collaboration with academic institutions, universities, startups, public bodies and EU organizations to take advantage of scientific and technical know-how, which is one of the important assets to the society.”

Kastamonu Entegre continues to expand its product line in this area thanks to its efforts in innovation and sustainability. Stating that Pureboard panels that are new to the industry can be considered the latest example of next-generation environmentally friendly products, Yıldız pointed out that NAF (Non-Added Formaldehyde) Pureboard panels referring to zero formaldehyde emission in wood-based panels can be used in all areas where standard particleboards are used.

Stressing their efforts to build new and innovative growth areas in a traditionary industry through innovation and R&D, Yıldız stated that they continue to work on product and process development, productivity improvement, efficient resource utilization and advanced material technologies with a team of 50 at their R&D center established in Teknopark Istanbul in 2018. Additionally, Yıldız added that they developed a Board prototype from Coffee Waste in collaboration with Wastespresso as part of their sustainability and innovation works carried out at the center.

Yıldız also shared his views on the continuity of sustainable innovation, and indicated that they have ranked in the top three at InovaLIG organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) for three years in a row since 2019. He reminded that they crowned these achievements with the first prize in the “Innovation Strategy” category in 2023. Yıldız highlighted that they are the only company from Türkiye to engage in the European Commission's biobased industrial initiative.

Yıldız said that an innovation strategy that everyone in the country and the business world can agree on is required first so this concept, which represents a dynamic process by its nature, can take root in our country, pointing out that important steps have been taken by both public and private sectors for a long time to develop an innovation culture in our country.  For the area of innovative investments, he emphasized “Since such new technologies attract interest from all segments of society, they can sometimes turn into an image building activity for companies. At Kastamonu Entegre, all these investments cater for a need, bringing tangible benefits to our business processes. That is why every step we take includes a plan and a strategic goal. We will continue to invest towards these goals in the future.”

Kastamonu Entegre takes into account the unique dynamics of sustainability and innovation thanks to its proactive approach steering the industry and the experience of being a global organization, and continues to capture innovative leaps and ensure that all the solutions it produces contribute to a sustainable world.