“Hollow straws”, is how Leon Joore of the Natural Fiber Application Center (NAC) described natural fibers during National Fibertastic 2020, on September 22 in Bergen op Zoom. Those hollow straws were central to the event, which was organized for the fourth time. This time, in a corona-proof "light" version with 65 participants, five feet apart from eachother.

Saccharides (sugars) are wonderful building blocks for the chemical industry. They are versatile molecules that can be used as biobased alternatives to fossil raw materials to make chemicals and materials, such as bioplastics. Chemport Europe has therefore, together with a number of companies, compiled a Saccharide Agenda that charts the development potential of sugar in the Northern Netherlands.

Domestic bio-waste contains valuable organic substances that can be used for soil improvement but can also be converted into sustainable raw materials for the bio-based industries. However, only 9.5 million tons of bio-waste are being collected across Europe so far, including food waste and garden waste. This number can grow fivefold, up to about 51 million tons. It becomes evident from a joint study by Zero Waste Europe and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), published today (6 July).