Andrew Fernandes

The brand, launched this Monday in Pampilhosa da Serra, brings together the various players in the sector in a consortium, with two dozen projects already underway, to place Portugal as a center of sustainable excellence in the global market. Ana Maria Ramos Article body The resin sector is developing 20 new products in Portugal, borrowing from Latin the expression that gives its name to the new brand launched now, “Resinae”, to value what the Mediterranean pine cluster produces annually and make it a reference in the global market. This Monday, in Pampilhosa da Serra, specialists, entrepreneurs, producers, and institutional representatives gathered to share perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in a sector that already represents investments of around 26.5 million euros. From the ForestWISE CoLAB®, a consortium was created that brings together the entire value chain of the sector in Portugal, which is called RN21 and already has 37 partners and 38 lines of research to develop more sustainable and innovative projects with application in the real economy. The objective is to value the resin as an integrated project and renewable resource, derived from pine forests, predominantly located in the central and northern regions of the country, since its promoters consider it a raw material of “bio” origin with the potential to replace resins of fossil origin in the most diverse industries, from agri-food to textiles, or footwear. The objective is to create a quality seal that implies the use of incorporation of at least 10% of this type of raw material at any stage of the product development cycle. In addition, it seeks to modernize and make the entire value chain more efficient and sustainable, optimizing the extraction, production and marketing processes, ensuring the ecological and digital transition of the sector, promoting collaboration and integration between different actors, to boost innovation, knowledge sharing and the creation of an environment conducive to the growth and strengthening of activity in the country, which in the past represented more than 145 thousand tons of resin production per year and today it does not exceed 6 thousand tons produced per year. The consortium supports companies in the sector in diversifying their derived products into bio-based products with higher added value and in the modernization of production processes in order to incorporate new technologies and the adoption of Circular Economy principles. It also aims to contribute to carbon neutrality and to a more productive and resilient Portuguese forest, through genetic improvement and improvements in resin techniques, with the aim of increasing the production and valorization of sap from Portuguese forests. It also wants to contribute to territorial cohesion, especially in the regions of the country, where the main areas of resinous pine forest and most of the companies in the sector are concentrated, and to strengthen science and technology, through Research, Development & Innovation activities in companies, in partnership with higher education institutions and entities in the territory and already with partners in Spain, he hopes to soon be able to expand the project to the neighboring country and start winning business in other European countries. Learn more here

Meeting took place today in Pampilhosa da Serra Portugal may double the current 250 million euros (ME) per year generated by the resin sector in the coming years, said today the president of Resipinus – Association of Resin Distillers and Explorers. “The industry has this capacity to achieve this goal in two or three years, but it needs to have raw material and to have resinated pine forests,” said Marco Ribeiro, who was speaking to the Lusa agency after the “Resinae Ignite” meeting, which took place this afternoon in Pampilhosa da Serra, as part of the RN21 integrated project. In the initiative, which brought together entrepreneurs, producers, researchers, and institutional representatives, the association leader pointed out that Portugal resin between 20 and 25 thousand hectares of pine forest, when, according to statistics, the country has between “600 and 700 thousand hectares, which gives a large margin”. According to the president of Resipinus, within the scope of the RN21 project, which ends in December, but which can be extended a few more months, new extraction methods are being studied, less expensive, since currently the costs of extracting the resin are high. The RN21 project brings together, for the first time, the resin sector in Portugal, in a consortium that aims to invest in research and innovation to modernize and revitalize one of the most traditional sectors of the national economy, in order to value natural resin as a “bio” product. “We are taking the opportunity to develop some modernization, to bring new extraction models, more efficient, with some parts even mechanized, which until now was not possible, so that we can be more efficient in the extraction process,” explained Marco Ribeiro. The objective is to reduce the travel of resin workers to the pine forests and have an equivalent production, to reduce the necessary labor, increase the quality of the final product, through a container that allows the characteristics of the resin to be maintained, and to train new resin workers with new methods. “The market is demanding, it wants quality products, and we currently, with the traditional method, cannot achieve this product, and therefore, these new methods, which are more attractive, we can bring positive aspects for the future”, he maintained. For the association leader, if there is no economic valorization of this type of work, it will be difficult to attract “anyone to the sector and, therefore, we have to take this step of modernization”. Also within the scope of the RN21 project, the PINUS Center – Association for the Enhancement of the Pine Forest, which brings together the main agents in the pine sector, announced today that, together with several partners, it is starting a project to improve the genetic improvement of maritime pine to produce more resin. “It is intended to select the trees that may exist in the country and that are more productive in resin. From a current average of two kilos per pine tree, we have some that produce four kilos, and through a field trial, we intend to test whether this productivity is genetic”, stressed Pedro Teixeira. If the tests confirm that the higher production is associated with a genetic issue, seeds and genetic material will be removed to replicate in new plants “that, from the outset, will be more productive”, which can happen within a decade, being “an advantage for the entire value chain”, explained the technician. At the “Resinae Ignite” meeting, the “Resinae” brand was officially presented, a symbol of quality, which aims to strengthen the position of the sector and boost natural resin to a level of competitiveness that responds to the demands of a market increasingly focused on sustainability. “The brand turns out to be the culmination of a joint effort to have public recognition and extra appreciation of the natural resin, which is used in a series of products that we use daily”, underlined Rogério Rodrigues, coordinator of the RN21 project, which has an investment of more than 26 million euros and a subsidy of 17.5 million euros, supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project is led by CoLAB ForestWISE (Collaborative Laboratory for the Integrated Management of Forest and Fire) and involves 37 entities, which will combine public and private investments, based on three pillars: promotion of the production of national natural resin, strengthening the sustainability of the manufacturing industry, and positive differentiation of natural resin and derived products. Learn more here

“Resinae Ignite” event includes the official launch of the “Resinae” brand, a “benchmark of excellence” in the global market Pampilhosa da Serra was the place chosen for the meeting of specialists, entrepreneurs, producers, and researchers associated with the production of natural resin. An event promoted by the RN21 Integrated Project – Innovation in the Natural Resin Sector for Strengthening the National Bioeconomy, to be held next Monday, the 27th, during which the official launch of the “Resinae” brand will be attended. A brand presented as «a symbol of quality, traceability and environmental commitment», created to value the natural resin of Pinus Pinaster, which «aims to strengthen the position of the sector and boost the natural resin to a level of competitiveness that responds to the demands of a market increasingly focused on sustainability», says a note from CoLAB ForestWISE – Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management, An organization that brings together entities linked to research, innovation and knowledge and technology transfer, which aims to contribute to more sustainable forest management, valorization of forest products and reduction of the consequences of large fires. The body within which RN21 was created, a consortium that brings together the entire value chain of the natural resin sector in Portugal and which invests in the modernization and revitalization of this activity, considered one of the most traditional in the national economy, through the valorization of natural resin as a “bio” product and «enhancing the great possibilities of its application in the market». The meeting, to be held in the Monsenhor Nunes Pereira Building throughout the afternoon, will be attended by experts in the field, entrepreneurs, producers, and institutional representatives, who «will share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of the sector, promoting a constructive dialogue that fosters the development of innovative and sustainable solutions». The opening session, scheduled for 2:15 pm, will feature the interventions of Carlos Fonseca, from CoLAB ForestWISE, Jorge Custódio, mayor of Pampilhosa da Serra, and Jorge Brito, executive secretary of the Intermunicipal Community of the Region of Coimbra. The “natural resin value chain” is the theme to be developed next, with the interventions of Pedro Teixeira, from Centro Pinus, on “Resin production: sustainable practices and valorization”; Marco Ribeiro, from Resipinus, analyzes “The role of the resiner: the importance of resining”, followed by Ricardo Gomes, from Nares, and Pedro Gil, from Gum Rosin, who address, respectively, “Quality in the value chain” and “Expansion into new applications and products”. “The market: opportunities and global competitiveness” is the theme to be developed by João Koehler, from Colquímica, and Jávier Calvo, from Cesefor, present “Resin coating in Spain”. The work continues, with the debate on “The value chain of natural resin”, “Economic sustainability of resining”, and “Challenges and opportunities”, with the participation of Rogério Rodrigues and Joana Vieira, both from CoLAB ForesWISE, and Miguel Freitas, from the University of Algarve. At 5:10 pm, the presentation of the “Resinae” brand is scheduled by Jani Pires and Juliana Salvation, from CoLAB ForestWISE. Learn more here

Today in the RURAL REGIONAL …. we talk about Pampilhosa da Serra and we talk about the resin sector with Rogério Rodrigues. RN21 Integrated Project Director, led by CoLAB ForestWISE, which aims to boost the natural resin sector in Portugal, promoting its sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness. Pampilhosa da Serra was the place chosen for the meeting of specialists, entrepreneurs, producers, and researchers associated with the production of natural resin. An event promoted by the RN21 Integrated Project – Innovation in the Natural Resin Sector for Strengthening the National Bioeconomy, to be held next Monday, the 27th, during which the official launch of the “Resinae” brand will be attended. A brand presented as «a symbol of quality, traceability and environmental commitment», created to value the natural resin of Pinus Pinaster, which «aims to strengthen the position of the sector and boost the natural resin to a level of competitiveness that responds to the demands of a market increasingly focused on sustainability», says a note from CoLAB ForestWISE – Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management, An organization that brings together entities linked to research, innovation and knowledge and technology transfer, which aims to contribute to more sustainable forest management, valorization of forest products and reduction of the consequences of large fires. The body within which RN21 was created, a consortium that brings together the entire value chain of the natural resin sector in Portugal and which invests in the modernization and revitalization of this activity, considered one of the most traditional in the national economy, through the valorization of natural resin as a “bio” product and «enhancing the great possibilities of its application in the market». Learn more here