Texfor participated on April 29th in the Third working session of the Regional Forestry-Textile Group of Catalonia, held at the headquarters of Eurecat Manresa, within the framework of the European project GreenSmartMed.
The day brought together entities and companies linked to the textile, forestry, technological and institutional sectors with the aim of continuing to make progress in the identification of cooperation opportunities between the various sectors. This line of work is part of a strategic initiative aimed at Connecting the forestry and textile value chain, to address the challenge of cellulose gap and explore new ways to transform forest by-products into regenerated textile fibers.
GreenSmartMed is a project included in the program Interreg-Euro MED, which works to strengthen cooperation between regions, update innovation methodologies andhelping SMEs transform sustainability challenges into opportunities of industrial development.
In this context, the Regional Forestry-Textile Group of Catalonia has been configured as an intersectoral working space, aligned with the strategy RIS3CAT 2030, to promote collaboration between actors in the forestry and textile sectors, technology centers, universities, public administration and companies.
The session held in Manresa continued the work developed in previous meetings. In February, the group had focused its analysis on the challenge of wood extractionThis is understood as the set of processes linked to obtaining the forest resource from which cellulose can be extracted and processed for the textile industry. In Manresa, these processes were explored in greater depth.
The day had a decidedly practical focus. The objective was to build upon the analysis carried out in previous sessions, in which facilitators and obstacles were identified for To consolidate a future circular, innovative, inclusive forestry-textile value chain linked to the territoryThis vision proposes responsible management of forest resources and their valorization in sustainable, traceable and competitive products, driven by research, collaboration and economic viability.
The session concluded with the presentation of a European success story linked to the project BioFibreLoop, By Raffaele Bianco, BEES Future Solutions.
BioFibreLoop is working on the development of a new generation of renewable, recyclable, and bio-inspired materials for the outdoor, activewear, and workwear sectors. The project focuses on the non-toxic and circular functionalization of textiles using biopolymers, aiming to advance towards more sustainable and resilient technical textiles.
The presentation allowed to learn about different lines of work related to bio-based materialsCircularity, valorization of forest biomass, cellulose, lignin and new processes applicable to functional textiles.
Texfor's participation in this regional group is part of its commitment to European projects that bring innovation closer to businessesThey promote cooperation between sectors and contribute to generating real opportunities for the industry.
Texfor We appreciate the participation of all the participating entities and companies, especially from the partner companies that contributed to enriching this workspace with their industrial vision and direct knowledge of the sector.
The session allowed further progress in a collaborative process that connects knowledge, territory and business, with the aim of identifying concrete actions and exploring new opportunities for a more sustainable, innovative textile industry connected with other productive sectors.