New Wood: Building A Bio-Based Future
New exhibition looking at nature’s solutions growing in our forests, opens at The Garrison Chapel, London
From sustainable fashion to designer bathtubs, a new exhibition at The Garrison Chapel reveals how wood is steadily replacing fossil-derived raw materials.
The New Wood: Building a bio-based future exhibition showcases how cutting-edge wood-based materials are transforming everyday products — from textiles and packaging to cosmetics, chemicals, and even car tyres.
The exhibition demonstrates that bio-based alternatives are no longer experimental. They are market-ready, scalable, and already replacing fossil-based materials. Highlights of the exhibition include designer sanitaryware made from a unique wood composite with a carbon footprint up to 80% lower than comparable ceramic products.
Visitors at The Garrison Chapel, The King’s Foundation’s exhibition space in London, can also learn how forest resources are sustainably transformed into cosmetics. In an industry worth £400 billion, cellulose-based hydrogel allows products to be made with up to 80% fewer chemicals and lower energy use. Waterless, biodegradable, and renewable, the wood-derived hydrogel on display is designed to replace multiple fossil-based ingredients in everyday beauty products.
Also on display are works from The King’s Foundation’s Snowdon School of Furniture’s CREATE Programme which is based at Highgrove Gardens, Gloucestershire. The pieces exhibited are rooted in circular practices, demonstrating how innovative, responsibly sourced wood supports sustainable design.
The exhibition brings together renewable materials, circular use of forest biomass, and cutting-edge innovation and design to show how the transition from a fossil-based economy to a bio-based one is already underway.
The New Wood exhibition is a collaboration between the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, The King’s Foundation and the Finnish Forest Association. The exhibition is open from Monday 9 March until Friday 27 March 2026.
Marc Palahí, CEO of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, said:
“The circular bioeconomy is one of the greatest business opportunities of the 21st century. Innovative bio-based solutions like those in the New Wood exhibition show the power of nature to help us transition to a more sustainable future. Building a circular bioeconomy that replaces the existing extractive fossil-based economy gives us the opportunity to invest in our renewable natural capital to holistically transform our land, food, health and industrial systems so they prosper in harmony with nature”.
Kirsi Joensuu, Executive Director of the Finnish Forest Association, said:
“Today’s bioeconomy builds on the strengths of the forest sector, from lumber, pulp and paper to advanced new materials. It is no longer a distant vision but a practical, scalable way to replace fossil‑based products. The New Wood exhibition shows that wood‑based solutions are not future concepts; they are real, market‑ready alternatives already in use.”
She added: “Finland’s forest sector is cutting emissions, strengthening the economy, and supporting a more sustainable future. That is exactly what New Wood brings to life.”
Dr Simon Sadinsky, Executive Director of Education at The King’s Foundation, said:
“It is wonderful to the see the work of our King’s Foundation furniture students exhibited alongside these innovative products. All our work at The King’s Foundation is centered on His Majesty’s Philosophy of Harmony, and looking to nature for our solutions, therefore it feels fitting to host this exhibition at our fantastic London exhibition space, The Garrison Chapel.”
More information
New Wood
Launched in 2014, New Wood is a groundbreaking project that demonstrates how innovation is driving the bioeconomy forward. It was created to increase public understanding of the full potential of wood, today and in the future. The project brings together 20 Finnish organisations from across the forest industry and is funded by its members and the Finnish Forest Foundation, which has served as the principal funder of New Wood since its inception.
Circular Bioeconomy Alliance
The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance was established by His Majesty King Charles III, as The Prince of Wales, and is a registered charity. The CBA aims to accelerate the change to a nature-first economy that is climate neutral, inclusive and powers prosperity. We create impact at scale, using natural capital to build sustainable value chains which transform our land, food, health and industrial systems. Our approach combines a science-based framework, coalitions of expert partners, indigenous and local leaders, and a global network of ‘Living Labs’.
Finnish Forest Association
Established in 1877, the Finnish Forest Association promotes sustainable use of forests and strengthens society’s understanding of the value of forests. Through communication, education and collaboration with stakeholders across the forest sector, the Finnish Forest Association supports the transition from fossil‑based materials to renewable, circular solutions. Its mission is to ensure that forests remain a source of vitality, innovation and sustainability for future generations.
The King’s Foundation
The King’s Foundation is a charity founded by King Charles III and was first formed in 1990. Inspired by the vision and values of His Majesty, the Foundation builds and supports communities where people, places and the planet can coexist in harmony. The charity offers education courses for almost 15,000 students annually, health and wellbeing programmes for nearly 2,000 people every year, and spearheads placemaking and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas to revitalise communities and historic buildings.
The King’s Foundation is headquartered at its flagship regeneration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, and acts as custodian of other historic Royal sites including the Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland, and Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire. The Foundation also carries out its work at educational and cultural hubs in London, based at The King’s Foundation School for Traditional Arts in Shoreditch, Trinity Buoy Wharf on the River Thames and the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea. In addition to its UK presence, the Foundation delivers programmes and projects in over a dozen sites worldwide. For more information, please visit www.kings-foundation.org/ or email .
Photo: Anna Kauppi, Finnish Forest Association
