Our exhibit at the Maine International Trade Center’s annual Trade Day.

It has been a busy spring at Biobased Maine! We’ve attended an international conference, a national conference, and a local conference in just two months, and we’re moving full steam ahead into summer.

Early April saw Biobased Maine visit Amsterdam, the Netherlands for the World Bio Markets conference, and Washington, D.C for the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC). And at the end of May, Biobased Maine exhibited at the Maine International Trade Center’s (MITC) annual Trade Day.

In Amsterdam, the World Bio Markets conference connects biobased technologies, bio-industry stakeholders, and big brands seeking higher content of renewables in their supply chain. Biobased Maine was joined by the University of Maine and FOR/Maine in Amsterdam, where our team met with several technology companies that could use Maine’s renewable biomass feedstock to manufacture value-add green chemicals, materials and products. Big brand names seen at the conference included LEGO, Asics, Allbirds, H&M, IKEA, and more. The Maine team returned with promising leads and interest from global companies in visiting Maine to learn more about our abundance of renewable feedstock and co-location opportunities.  

Also in early April, Biobased Maine and other Maine stakeholders traveled to Washington, DC for the annual ABLC conference organized by Biofuels Digest. This well-attended conference connects technology companies with D.C policy-makers and has a heavy emphasis on biofuels and the renewable fuels standard (RFS). While there, Biobased Maine took the opportunity to point out to policy-makers that Maine’s naturally regenerating and sustainably harvested wood does not qualify for RIN credits under the RFS. This presents an issue for Maine, if we are to capture a market share in the rapidly growing global bioeconomy, a market “valued at $2.7 trillion, which is as big as France and growing as fast as China,” according to Biofuels Digest’s Jim Lane.

“The bioeconomy is valued at $2.7 trillion, which is as big as France and growing as fast as China”

Jim Lane, Biofuels Digest

Most recently, Biobased Maine attended the annual MITC Trade Day in Portland, Maine. This year’s Trade Day theme was Maine’s Future in the Global Bioeconomy. The conference featured an address from Senator Angus King and a keynote speech from Jaana Husu-Kallio, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland. Jaana pointed out similarities between Finland and Maine, including a decline in the pulp and paper industry and an abundance of woody biomass feedstock, indicating that Finland’s transition to a bioeconomy could provide a roadmap for Maine.

Biobased Maine’s exhibit at Trade Day featured many of our members’ products, which attracted heavy foot traffic from attendees. Biobased Maine brings information about its member companies to local, national, and international conferences and industry events, developing relationships with other companies and potential investors. Join Biobased Maine today and ask us how we can assist with your business development efforts.

Below, a few photos from World Bio Markets:

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