Wood chipboard, common in interior spaces for applications ranging from furniture to decorative panelling, often falls short due to the presence of toxic adhesives, posing risks to both human health and the environment. This research delves into the potential transformation of wood chipboard into a 100% bio-based product. Previous research has shown the possibility of the partial replacement of petrochemical-based adhesives with bio-based adhesives. Hence, previous results do not reach the policy ambitions of the Green Deal of making the Green Transition to a bio-based economy. For chipboard production, logging residues from Latvian State Forests were systematically gathered within two months post-logging, comprising primarily Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris biomass, including branches, needles, bark, and various particles. A custom chipper and Vibrotehnik PM-120 hammer mill were employed for particle size separation into three fractions via sieving: <2.8 mm, 2.8–8 mm, and 8.0–10.0 mm, and combined with binders and hot-pressed into board samples. As a result, particle boards containing 100% bio-based carbon were achieved, demonstrating the possibility of excluding petroleum adhesives from chipboard production, paving the way for new research exploring bio-based binders and conifer bark.

Horticulture is essential in the European agricultural sector and fundamental for many EU member states. Decision Support Systems and Tools can play an essential role in a shift to result-based agriculture and evidence-based decision making, improving productivity and environmental performance of farming practices. Investigations have been conducted on horticulture crop and farming impact on the environment and Green House Gas emissions. Despite the availability of a broad spectrum of tools, the use of Decision Support Tools in agriculture in Europe could be much higher. This research aims to analyze and recommend environmental impact Decision Support Tools for small and medium-sized companies to approach, measure, and evaluate horticulture farming. The research methodology includes a systematic review, bibliometric analysis, Multicriteria Decision analysis, and a case study analysis. During the research, multiple tools, including calculators used for an impact assessment of the agricultural sector, were selected. After applying eligibility criteria, an in-depth analysis of eight of the most suitable calculators was performed. The results of the Multicriteria Decision analysis show that the Solagro Carbon Calculator, The Farm Carbon Calculator, and the Cool Farm Tool are recommended in the first place as Green House Gas calculators for farmers.

Sustainability has become an increasingly important factor in policymaking and investment planning due to environmental, economic, and social concerns. To achieve sustainable development objectives, decision-makers must implement policies encouraging environmentally responsible activities such as enacting laws and regulations, investing in green infrastructure, and encouraging research of new technologies. Furthermore, sustainable investments are essential for the environment and socio-economic development, as they can create jobs, improve livelihoods, and reduce poverty rates. European Union (EU) and its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one of oldest and major policies of block. € 387 billion in funding has been allocated to the CAP for the period from 2021 to 2027, or roughly 30 % of EU budget for the period. Latvian national plan for the period 2021–2027 is € 2.5 billion. It is necessary to find correlation between financing and sustainability and how to assess CAP sustainability. Therefore, a study researching the connection between the funds available under European Union’s CAP (Latvian case study) and United Nations sustainability goals is performed using quantitative analysis to evaluate how it promotes implementation of sustainability goals. The research has found that approximately 15 % of CAP will be dedicated to environmental sustainability, while 85 % will be dedicated to social sustainability. Only very few targets are not falling under any UN sustainability goal. The most spread and financially supported UN goal is ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ (65 %), followed by goal ‘Climate action’ (15 %). To mitigate the harm to the environment, vertical targets and directions become more environmentally related over years, and specific and proactively available financing tend to be more focused on the environment. The study shows that CAP is sustainable from the UN sustainability perspective. CAP is a dominantly social and business-related program (85 % of activities and financing). From total activities, 15 % are environmentally related. Further research is needed on what would be the best social and environmental division. Results show that policies sustainability can be analysed and quantified using UN Sustainability goals. Research results can be used to analyse other national CAPs in EU.