Novel fibre value chains & ecosystem services from
sustainable feedstocks
FIBSUN cultivates biomass on abandoned land to revitalise the soil
and produce bio-based fibres for the construction, automotive and
textile sectors.
FIBSUN looks to optimise all aspects of novel bio-based fiber
value chains
Despite the need to find alternatives for fossil raw materials and overly intensive use of forests, processing methods for novel biomass types and the related business models remain underdeveloped. As long as the benefits of sustainable value chains are poorly understood they have little chance to grow. To avoid clearing of forests or compromising agricultural production, degraded soils and marginal land should be used.
Cultivating biomass feedstocks can alleviate desertification, soil contamination and flooding and restore soil productivity, biodiversity and carbon stocks. Future rural bioeconomy and industrial competitiveness depend on their ability to transform towards sustainability. FIBSUN looks to optimise all aspects of novel bio-based fibre value chains by experimenting cultivation practices and industrial processes in real-world conditions, assessing the provisioning of ecosystem services and developing business models together with understanding of consumer needs.
Objectives
FIBSUN’s objective is to support the development of resilient and competitive production systems and enhanced provision of ecosystem services from degraded soils by fostering the growth of five sustainable fibre value chains. To this end, it aims to:
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Provide sustainable biomass for industrial biorefineries from land that is abandoned or unsuitable for mainstream agriculture;
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Increase the sustainability of processing and exploitation methods for five fibre feedstocks – hemp, wood, thistle, cattail and reed – by developing products for the construction, Automotive and textile sectors: insulation rolls and boards, composites for cars, concrete and yarn;
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Develop novel fibre substrates by measuring the properties and performance of the piloted products and improving them based on feedback from users in different value chains;
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Boost the competitiveness of the EU bio-based sector by fine tuning all parts of the five value chains to make them fully functional and resource efficient;
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Raise public awareness of the impact of natural resource use on ecosystem services and ascertain consumers’ willingness to change their consumption habits.
Nature-based solutions grow under FIBSUN’s shine!
FIBSUN’s ultimate goal is to support the development of resilient and competitive production systems and enhanced provision of ecosystem services (ES) from degraded and marginal soils, by facilitating sustainable fibre value chains in European industries, via a series of five Pilot Validation Trials (PVT).
WP1 - Optimizing the provision of biomass and quantifying site-level impacts
WP2 - Industrial process development
WP3 - Economic viability and environmental performance of the value chains
WP4 - Dissemination, exploitation and communication
WP5 - Project coordination and administration
"It is time to accept that conventional land use and industrial production are largely unsustainable. FIBSUN stirs up the views of the value chain actors to develop resilient and competitive production systems for European fibre industries."
Kristiina Lång, Research Professor, Natural Resources Institute Finland