12 December 2025 (Green Savers) – Green Savers published the article “Natural resin: when the forest creates value for local territories”, which highlights the contribution of the RN21 Integrated Project to modernising the Natural Resin value chain and to the cohesion of rural territories.
The revitalisation of the Natural Resin value chain in Portugal is transforming the relationship between forest, territory and people. The RN21 Integrated Project has brought innovation, new products, skilled employment and value-adding mechanisms that strengthen territorial cohesion and position this raw material as a pillar of the national bioeconomy.
A renewable resource that energises the territory
Natural Resin, extracted mainly from maritime pine, is a 100% renewable and biodegradable resource, capable of replacing fossil derivatives in a wide range of industrial applications. But its value goes beyond the environmental dimension: today it represents a real opportunity to energise rural areas and strengthen communities’ connection to the forest.
The RN21 Integrated Project, co-financed by the PRR and led by CoLAB ForestWISE, brings together 36 partners to modernise the entire value chain, from forest production to industrial processing. Among the most significant advances are the genetic improvement programme, which has identified more productive trees, and the new mechanised tapping system, which reduces the physical effort required of resin tappers and raises the quality of the resin collected. These technological advances strengthen the sector’s sustainability and make the activity more attractive to new professionals.
Resin tappers: a presence that protects the forest
The regular presence of resin tappers in the forest has a direct impact on protecting the territory. In addition to extracting resin, which increases pine forest income by 30%, these workers contribute to forest management and to the early detection of wildfires, thus playing an essential role in valuing and defending these forest areas. The activity creates local jobs, helps retain population and strengthens the economies of rural areas and inland regions, where the relationship between forest and community is structural.
From industrial innovation to the Resinae® brand
In industry, RN21 has driven robotisation, digitalisation and the development of new resin derivatives with applications in sectors as diverse as food, footwear, automotive and textiles. The creation of new biopolymers incorporating Natural Resin derivatives, replacing fossil-based products, has shown high performance and opened the door to more sustainable and competitive products. These results prove that Natural Resin can meet the needs of demanding markets and increase the country’s industrial autonomy, through a strategy that adds value to maritime pine forests.
To reinforce this progress, the Resinae® – Pinaster Natural Resin brand was created to promote products that incorporate a renewable raw material from well-managed forests, ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability and based on internationally recognised certification schemes. Built on its own traceability system, the brand clearly identifies the percentage of Natural Resin incorporated (10%, 40%, 70% or 100%), ensures authenticity, strengthens market confidence and adds value for producers and national industry.
Recent developments show that Natural Resin is an instrument of balanced development, capable of bringing together technological innovation, active land management and traditional knowledge. With the momentum of RN21, Portugal is reviving a historic activity and projecting it into the future, bringing the forest closer to people and creating economic, social and environmental value in an integrated way.
Originally published in Green Savers.