About Us
Natural Resin is a renewable resource obtained from pine forests, mainly in the Centre and North of Portugal. This bio-based raw material can replace fossil-based resins in a wide range of industries, such as food, textiles, footwear and automotive.
To drive the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy, the RN21 Integrated Project — Innovation in the Natural Resin Value Chain to Strengthen the National Bioeconomy brings together 36 entities from across the Natural Resin value chain in Portugal and implements 22 key measures.
The aim of the RN21 Integrated Project is to add value to Natural Resin as a bio-based and renewable product, expanding its industrial applications and exploring its economic potential in a sustainable way. This includes research, development and innovation to create new products and markets. The project also seeks to modernise the entire value chain and make it more efficient and sustainable, optimising extraction, production and commercialisation processes, and to support the ecological and digital transition of the sector. To this end, it promotes collaboration among the different stakeholders, fostering innovation, knowledge sharing and an environment that supports the growth and strengthening of the Natural Resin sector in Portugal.
General Objectives
The RN21 Integrated Project is based on three guiding principles:
- Cover the entire Natural Resin value chain, from the forest to the final consumer, with a focus on markets and new products derived from Natural Resin.
- Address the key needs and opportunities identified by sector stakeholders.
- Contribute to the objectives of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), particularly in the sustainable bioeconomy component.
OG1 — Contribute to economic resilience and promote the sustainable bioeconomy in Portugal by revitalising the Natural Resin industry. The project supports companies in diversifying their Natural Resin derivatives into higher-value bio-based products, modernising production processes through new technologies, and adopting circular economy principles.
OG2 — Contribute to carbon neutrality and to a more productive and resilient Portuguese forest, through genetic improvement and better resin tapping techniques, with the aim of increasing the production and value of Natural Resin as a forest product.
OG3 — Promote territorial cohesion, particularly in the Centre and North of the country, where the main resin-tapped pine forests and most of the sector’s companies are located.
OG4 — Strengthen science and technology through Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) activities in companies, in partnership with higher education institutions and regional entities.
Specific Objectives
These objectives are achieved through 22 key measures, which result in research- and knowledge-based products, projects and services for Natural Resin producers, processing industries and the market. The key measures of the RN21 Integrated Project are based on those set out in the Call for the Creation of Consortia and, in some cases, have been broken down to align with the strategic investments of the consortium companies, while safeguarding confidentiality and their competitive positions in the market.
The specific objectives are organised into three pillars, as set out in the Call for the Creation of Consortia:
Pillar I — Promoting national Natural Resin production
- I.1. Strengthening the productive capacity of pine forests
- I1.M1. Genetic improvement programme for resin tapping
- I1.M2. Benchmarking of other resin-producing Pinus species
- I.2. Increasing resin tapping productivity
- I2.M1. Training and professionalisation of resin tappers
- I2.M2. R&D in resin tapping techniques and collection containers
- I.3. Making resin tapping more attractive to forest owners
- I3.M1. R&D/Communicating gains in pine forest profitability
Pillar II — Strengthening the sustainability of the processing industry
- II.1. Support for industrial investment and the value chain
- II1.M1. Optimisation of industrial processes
- II1.M1A. Production of esters in tubular reactors
- II1.M1B. Digitalisation of second processing
- II1.M2. Industrial R&D to create resin-based products
- II1.M2A. Rosin for biopolymer-based adhesives
- II1.M2B. Hydrogenated rosin and industrial scale-up unit
- II1.M2C. Metallocene-compatible rosin
- II1.M2D. Scale-up of metallocene-compatible rosin
- II1.M3. Transition to renewables and use of resin processing by-products
- II1.M3A. Renewable energy and efficient use of water and energy
- II1.M3B. Valorisation of bark and other first-processing residues
- II1.M3C. Valorisation of sludge and other first- and second-processing residues
- II1.M1. Optimisation of industrial processes
- II.2. New applications and stronger markets
- II2.M1. R&D into new applications and niche markets for rosin
- II2.M1A. Food and agriculture
- II2.M1B. Materials and packaging
- II2.M1C. Automotive
- II2.M2. Promotion of second processing of turpentine
- II2.M3. R&D for the use of Natural Resin in textiles and footwear
- II2.M3A. Textiles
- II2.M3B. Footwear
- II2.M1. R&D into new applications and niche markets for rosin
Pillar III — Positive differentiation of Natural Resin and its derivatives
- III.1. Creation of an Iberian “seal”
- III1.M1. Creation of an Iberian “seal” and technical dissemination
- III.2. Communication and marketing
- III2.M1. Communication and marketing
Funding
The RN21 Integrated Project — Innovation in the Natural Resin Value Chain to Strengthen the National Bioeconomy is co-financed by the Fundo Ambiental (Environmental Fund) through Component 12 — Promotion of the Sustainable Bioeconomy — Investment TC-C12-i01 — Sustainable Bioeconomy — Calls No. 01/C12-i01/2021 and No. 02/C12-i01/2021, with European funds allocated to Portugal under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), within the framework of the European Union (EU) Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), under NextGenerationEU, for the period 2021–2026.
