Innovation tops the agenda at European Paper Week, as industry moves forward on the bioeconomy

Submitted by: The Two Sides Team November 28, 2017

The 19th edition of European Paper Week will mark CEPI’s 25th anniversary and takes place in the background of industry’s transformation towards a low-carbon, circular bioeconomy. As part of this year’s theme, attendees are invited to look forward and ‘Sense the Future’ by experiencing through the five senses the innovative, bio-based potential of the industry. 

“Industry transformation is gaining pace. This year’s European Paper Week provides an occasion to look forward at how we can, as the leading renewable and recyclable material industry, unleash the full potential of a circular bioeconomy,” says Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI).

As part of the industry’s ambition to lead Europe’s bioeconomy transformation, this year’s event will play host to the inaugural Europe-only edition of the Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation Awards, where eight accomplished researchers will make the case for their industry-changing ideas.

Building on this year’s theme, attendees are also invited to experience first-hand industry’s cutting-edge potential at a novel innovation expo. The expo will exhibit multiple, innovative paper-based products that can be used for purposes as diverse as human cell cultivation, aircraft structures and renewable, bio-based alternatives to plastic bottles.

This year’s High-level session will welcome Gunter Pauli, author of The Blue Economy, a world-renowned report which outlines how innovations inspired by nature’s own renewable cycles can build a sustainable economy from the ground up. This session also challenges attendees to think ‘outside the box’ and will strike a chord on how the European Commission’s revised EU Bioeconomy Strategy can help speed up the deployment of innovation from lab to market.

Looking towards the future, the industry will continue to put its words into action, as outlined in the revised version of its 2050 ‘Investment Roadmap’, by building on the success of its pioneering ‘Roots and Beyond’ project to demonstrate, in practice, the transformative investments taking place across the industry. CEPI also intends to be at the forefront of the discussion on the next EU research and development programme to guarantee funding for the bioeconomy projects that can propel industry innovation to the next level.

Note to editor:

CEPI is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products. CEPI represents 22% of world production, €81 billion of annual turnover to the European economy and directly employs over 175,000 people.

From forest fibre technology to advance paper design the industry currently invests 3.5 billion annually and is a leader of the low carbon circular bioeconomy transition. CEPI’s 2050 ‘Investment Roadmap’ outlines the industry’s vision to advance this transformation in Europe through value creation and decarbonisation.

For press-related enquiries please contact Ben Kennard, CEPI Press Manager at b.kennard@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 487 39 21 82. Full information on European Paper Week can be consulted on our website here.

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