Background Waste management is one of the top priorities on Europe’s environmental agenda, as stated in the recent Environment Action Programme to 2020. Notable efforts and actions have been invested in, policies and legislation have been updated and introduced, and studies and research carried out. However, there is still a great need for improved recycling practices and for raising the acceptance and uptake of such processes. As for wood, it is mainly recycled through the remanufacturing of engineered panels or used as a biomass fuel to produce energy. About 15 million tonnes per year still end up in landfills throughout Europe. Objectives The LIFE GREENJOIST project aims to demonstrate the economic and environmental feasibility of an eco-innovative recycling process that is able to reuse and valorise wood waste to produce green, high-quality and cost-effective joists for different industrial sectors (e.g. manufacturing, transportation, logistics and construction). This will contribute to the consolidation of sustainable eco-innovative businesses in the EU woodworking industry, contribute to the achievement of EU 2020 goals for resource efficiency, and avoid dangerous impacts on human health and the environment. With the potential to substantially cut the amount of currently landfilled wood waste, the GREENJOIST project has set out a well-structured plan with the following key objectives: Define an innovative process for the production of high-quality, cost-effective joists from recycled wood waste through the setting up of a pilot plant; Increase the awareness of eco-innovative solutions among the general public, policy makers and the wood industry, focusing on their environmental and economic advantages as well as on their technical feasibility; Avoid the use of virgin wood in the construction of new joists and pallets, saving trees and reducing CO2 emissions linked to transportation and processing; and Promote the shift from potentially harmful chemicals to natural components in the wood industry. Expected results: The design, setting up and operation of a pilot plant for the construction of high-quality joists made of 100% recycled wood waste, using an innovative eco-friendly glue based on lignin, tannin or starch; Reach a full capacity for the pilot plant producing green joists, with 24-hour-a-day production; Use of 10 tonnes/day of recycled wood waste; Substitution of petrochemicals in glue with raw materials from renewable resources, namely lignin, tannin or starch; Monitoring and evaluating the production system and its impacts, with a lifecycle approach as well as testing the final product; and A set of demonstration and dissemination activities aimed at reaching a large and diverse number of stakeholders, including local communities, policy makers and industry operators, resulting in an increased awareness of eco-innovative solutions and green waste management processes.