October 2026
From the project
Jowat joins the COUNTLESS consortium
Following a change in strategic orientation, Braskem has decided to leave the COUNTLESS consortium. We would like to sincerely thank Braskem for its valuable contributions to the project and wish the company every success in its future bio-based initiatives.
At the same time, we are pleased to welcome Jowat SE as a new project partner!
With more than 100 years of expertise in industrial adhesives and a strong commitment to sustainability, Jowat will contribute to the development of lignin-based adhesive solutions, supporting our mission to transform lignin into high-value bio-based products.
Lignin Valorisation Workshop – external input welcomed by consortium partners
At the Renewable Materials Conference 2026, COUNTLESS and LIGNOFUN brought together experts from across industry, research and innovation to discuss how lignin valorisation can be successfully scaled up and commercialised. The workshop highlighted the importance of connecting feedstock suppliers, technology developers and end users, while showcasing new opportunities enabled by advanced lignin conversion technologies. Participants also developed a roadmap for strengthening the European lignin value chain and accelerating market uptake of lignin-based products.
Read more: Lignin valorisation workshop – COUNTLESS
Partner news
VITO deepens work on biomaterials for construction and building sector
Vlastic and VITO join forces to scale flax-based biomaterials from lab to industry: flax specialist Vlastic is partnering with VITO under the BIO-CAPPP voucher scheme to standardise and certify its bio-based material for the construction and building sector.
Read more: https://vito.be/en/news/vlastic-and-vito-join-forces-scale-flax-based-biomaterials-lab-industry
VITO’s LEGACY project: first results in replacing BPA
In the LEGACY project, VITO tackles the issue of harmful bisphenol A by rethinking the formulation of epoxy resins. Using lignin as a feedstock, researchers produced bio-based building blocks for BPA-free epoxy resins.
Fibenol expands lignin applications into battery materials
COUNTLESS partner Fibenol has expanded its collaboration with Estonian technology company UP Catalyst to develop lignin-derived carbon materials for energy storage applications. The partners are working on hard carbon and activated carbon materials suitable for sodium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, opening new high-value markets for lignin beyond traditional construction and chemical applications. The collaboration is intended to support industrial-scale production of bio-based battery materials from woody biomass, demonstrating the growing versatility of lignin as a renewable feedstock.
Read more: https://fibenol.com/news
Upcoming events
Webinar: Sustainability starts here – Integrating LCA and SSbD into bio-based innovation from day one
This webinar will highlight how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) support the development of circular and bio‑based solutions. Experts from the European Commission, and the projects COUNTLESS, LIGNOFUN and ReCO2NWert will share practical insights into assessing environmental impacts, identifying sustainability hotspots and making informed decisions even with limited early‑stage data.
Learn more and register here: https://www.clib-cluster.de/en/veranstaltung/clib-webinar-sustainability-starts-here-integrating-lca-and-ssbd-into-bio-based-innovation-from-day-one/