MARKET REPORT
meet sustainability requirements, including but not confined to natural or non-natural materials — for example, using laminates, engineered wood panels, or recycled materials to become carbon neutral, even if the product itself does not use natural wood. China also reportedly encourages producers to use bamboo to replace plastic. In that regard, AHEC’s programmes to push for sustainability in design and materials are aligned with China’s and the global interest. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises have been restructuring to meet the changes in market demand, resulting in a loss in direction in where the low-end, middle and high-end markets are headed. Whether the market can break even the losses made during the pandemic is uncertain as well. Large-scale projects such as for hotels or luxury resorts have
been downsizing, resulting in the reduced use of US hardwoods. Particular to smaller projects, homeowners are preferring to order furniture or furnishings through their interior designers, rather than going to furniture stores or show rooms. This means furniture retailers and manufacturers can seek out interior designers for partnerships or collaborations. On a brighter note, the downsizing has stopped and interior design projects, including make-to-order furniture, are stable, but the pick-up signal is still flat. At the moment, the high-end market specifies for high-grade species like black walnut, and white and red oaks. Walnut logs are especially in demand, which are sawn to the grades on different size by sawmills in China that fit the local end users. P
Wood flooring manufacturing in China (Image: Ramon Carrillo/ITTO)
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024 | PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA 21
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker