Inside LIGNA 2025: What to Expect on the LIGNA.Stage

In LIGNA’s 50th anniversary year, LIGNA.Stage will once again be located in Hall 12. All presentation slots are already fully booked – Monday to Thursday from 10am to 5:30pm and Friday from 10am to 3pm Participating exhibitors include the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS), the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR), the Fachschule Holztechnik Melle (FHM), ForestX AB, Henkel, Leuco, Valmet and Weinig. The full stage program, including all presentation slots, topics and speakers, will go live on 14 April 2024 via www.ligna.de.The event will take place from 26–30 May 2025.

LIGNA.Stage highlights

• LIGNA.Circular slots from Monday to Thursday

• Focus topic slots from Monday to Friday

• Integrated into the LIGNA.Stage setup: six themed islands for LIGNA.Circular

• Full program available online from 14 April

The LIGNA.Stage program is divided into a morning session (10am to 3pm including a lunch break) and an afternoon session (3pm to 5:30pm From Monday to Thursday, slots will feature both LIGNA.Circular and LIGNA.Focus content. Friday will be dedicated entirely to focus topics.

Running alongside the presentations, six themed ‘islands’ will be set up around the stage throughout the fair, where partners will share insights, showcase best practices and offer hands-on guidance around circular economy topics.

“With LIGNA.Stage, we want to offer trade fair visitors a relevant platform at the heart of the event. The presentations are designed for clear knowledge transfer. Each visitor should walk away with concrete insights. The speakers deliver exactly that – content from the industry, for the industry. Everyone in the woodworking and wood processing sector, and even beyond, can benefit from the LIGNA.Stage program,” says Stephanie Wagner, Head of LIGNA at Deutsche Messe AG.

LIGNA.Stage: highlights of the LIGNA.Circular program

The circular economy is critical for securing the long-term competitiveness of the woodworking and wood processing industries. It boosts resource efficiency and resilience while enabling new business models. LIGNA.Circular brings together leaders in circularity to identify opportunities and spark collaboration for a more sustainable future.

From Monday to Thursday, LIGNA.Stage will explore key questions:

• How can in-house production processes become more circular?

• How can systems and services help close value creation loops?

In addition to examining business and service models like refurbishment and pay-per-use, presentations will focus on machine development and the optimisation of processes, especially for handling recycled and reusable materials.

Monday: Transformation

Axel Berger (Enkelfähigkeit and Haniel initiative) will open with a cross-industry perspective. Heiner Strack (German Furniture Industry Association) and Dr. Jan Lüdtke (Thünen Institute) will analyse the future of wood processing. In the afternoon, ‘Transformation meets Innovation’ will feature Michael Rupp (Dieffenbacher) and Dr. Steffen Eggers (Continental), who will present practical applications of circular strategies. Anja Stolte (Fachschule für Holztechnik Melle) will also discuss how circular economy skills are being taught in vocational training.

Tuesday: Recyclable Timber Construction

After the German Timber Construction Award presentation, the focus will shift to recyclable timber. In partnership with the Association of the Wood-Based Panel Industry (VHI), a panel featuring Anemon Strohmeyer (VHI), Prof. Dr. Anette Hafner (Ruhr University Bochum) and Simon Wimmer (Tegel Projekt GmbH) will explore innovative building concepts and sustainability challenges.

Wednesday: Service Innovation

Linda Dierke (Effizienz-Agentur NRW) will introduce ‘CIRCO’, a workshop program for circular business models. Weinig and Fraunhofer IPA will highlight service models like pay-per-use and maintenance programs. The ‘Wind of Change’ panel, in collaboration with Fraunhofer WKI, will discuss wind turbine recycling and circular design for new models.

Thursday: Cooperation for Circular Transformation

Anja Stolte will present a collaboration between Fachschule für Holztechnik Melle and Richter Akustik. TU Braunschweig’s ‘Recycling for ReUse’ project will highlight industry-research partnerships focused on waste wood reintegration. A panel featuring FESTOOL, HILTI, STIHL and Weinig will explore collaborative efforts in tool and machinery manufacturing.Six themed islands for knowledge transferSurrounding the LIGNA.Stage, six themed islands will provide in-depth insights into sustainable value creation across sectors:

1. Mechanical and Plant Engineering – Festool, Dieffenbacher, Shaper Tools, Tanos Systainer and Weinig showcase circular practices in engineering.

2. Material Flows of Wood – FNR presents sustainable wood use and cascade utilization strategies.

3. Wood-Based Materials and Recycling – Fraunhofer WKI focuses on recyclability in new material development.

4. Circular Economy in Timber Construction – TU Braunschweig (iBHolz) presents two research projects – developing mono-material panels and processing waste wood into new components.

5. Circular Furniture – The German Furniture Industry Associations present two initiatives:

• Furniture – Material Re:Turn (NRW pilot project for furniture take-back)

• FURNITURE X (introducing the Digital Product Passport)

6. Trade and Crafts: Sustainable Together – Hagebau Holzhandel highlights sustainable product offerings and the value of wood.

LIGNA.Stage: focus topic program highlights

From Monday to Thursday (3pm–5:30pm) and Friday (10am-3pm) LIGNA.Stage will feature exhibitor presentations tailored to woodworking industry needs.

Monday:

• Paul Götz (Leuco): Increasing Efficiency through Digital Tool Management

• Cornelia Dietz (Leica Geosystems AG): Digitalisation of Measuring Processes – From the Construction Site to Production

Tuesday:

• Morning: German Timber Construction Award (10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.)

• Afternoon: LIGNA.Circular focus

Wednesday:

• 3pm: VDMA Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen: Startups@LIGNA – New Solutions for the Future

• 4pm: FNR’s Innovation Pitch: It’s a Match! – Matchmaking Research & Start-ups

Thursday:

• EOS presents the EU-funded project SINTETIC

• Microtec contributes to the CONNECTIVITY topic

Friday:

• Carl Barok (ForestX AB): Optimised Glulam Production with Smart Planning

• Christoph Schweizer (Palette CAD AG): Everyone Talks About Efficiency, We Make It Tangible

About LIGNA

LIGNA, the world’s leading trade fair for the woodworking and wood processing industry, is jointly organized by Deutsche Messe and VDMA Woodworking Machinery in Hannover. In 2025, it celebrates its 50th anniversary. The event showcases the full spectrum of products and services for both the primary and secondary industries – including tools, machines, and systems for custom and mass production; surface technology; wood-based panel production; sawmill technology; energy from wood; machine components and automation – as well as forestry machinery and systems.

For further information, visit www.ligna.de.