Figueira da Foz, 10 October 2023 (Agroportal) – Agroportal covered the first public presentation of the RN21 Integrated Project, held at the facilities of consortium partner United Resins and attended by the Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, and the Secretary of State for the Economy, Pedro Cilínio.
A turning point for the sector
In the opening session, Carlos Fonseca, CTO of CoLAB ForestWISE, presented RN21 as a turning point for the sector, able to generate value along the whole chain, support sustainable forest management, reduce wildfire risk and revitalise rural areas. Duarte Cordeiro stressed that the project brings together 37 entities to modernise and revitalise a traditional sector and broaden the market applications of Natural Resin.
From the forest to the bioeconomy, in two panels
The first panel, on resin tapping as a driver of forest resilience, brought together António Salgueiro (AGIF), Mariana Ferreira (Luresa Resinas) and Susana Carneiro (Centro PINUS). The second discussed the challenges and opportunities of the bioeconomy for Natural Resin, with Luís Rochartre (Católica Porto Business School), Pedro Koehler (Colquímica Adhesives) and Carla Silva (CITEVE).
In closing, Pedro Cilínio noted that no single player could overcome the sector’s challenges alone and highlighted resin’s potential to replace fossil-based products. With an investment of more than 26 million euros and a grant of 17.5 million euros, RN21 is the first initiative to bring together the entire Natural Resin value chain in Portugal.
Originally published in Agroportal.