Valorization of fibres from nettle grown on marginal lands in an agro-forestry cropping system
NETFIB ambitions to develop innovative solutions meeting the needs of European and global markets; and, where relevant, to deliver such innovations to the markets by developing and testing an innovative technique to revitalize degraded industrial soils, and ultimately restore the services of the soil. The implementation of field trials will be done on four industrial sites, made available by the industrial partner INOVYN in France (Saint-Symphorien-sur- Saône), Belgium (Jemeppe), Italy (Tavazzano) and Germany (Rheinberg). The principal stakeholders involved will be those involved during the implementation phase (plant producers, farmers) and the site owner, the INOVYN company. The success of the case studies implemented at the industrial sites will improve and solidify their common knowledge and promote highly qualified jobs across (interdisciplinary) communities.
By taking a multi-actor project at the earliest opportunity, NETFIB will ensure that selection and delivery processes are inclusive, RELEVANT, cross-sectoral and replicable. Stakeholders in the value-added chain of the European bast fibre industry (farmers, processors, intermediate and product manufacturers) should be informed about progress relevant achievements, midterm and end of the project. A valuable possibility will be the most important conference in this sector: International Conference of the European Industrial Hemp Association, allowing comparison with projects on another fibre crop.
The productivity of nettle in agro-forestry system will be measured by the French (Laboratoire Chrono-environnement & Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux), Italian (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, UCSC) and Austrian University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) partners. The quality and mechanical properties of the fibers produced will be studied by the French (FEMTO-ST) and German (Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) & Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences (HSB) partners. Finally, the economic and social impacts, as well as the potential impacts on the environment will be supported by the English partner (R3 Environment). NETFIB is therefore decidedly multi-disciplinary, combining material, environmental and human sciences