Forest Biomass: Seeds Of Commercial Success Are Sprouting

While Kinleith mill workers await news of their future employment, startup initiatives are in progress to make high value bioproducts from high volumes of wood and wood wastes. New Zealand's circular bioeconomy is a NZ $30 billion economic opportunity that will provide a mosaic of activity for regional New Zealand to thrive in, through emerging bio-based manufacturing, and the creation of new high-value products from what we currently consider waste.

Local entrepreneurs are already developing new products from sustainable resources:

1. Making graphite in Marlborough, CarbonScape is using its new technology for high-quality, sustainable bio graphite from renewable materials for greener lithium-ion batteries. International forest company Stora Enso is backing them.
2. In Kawerau, Foresta is an ASX-listed company has signed a deal with Genesis Energy and ASX-listed Foresta have signed a term-sheet to advance negotiations on the supply of torrefied biomass, or black pellets, for electricity generation at the Huntly Power Station. Ultimately they are targeting 300,000 tonnes per annum by 2028.
3. In Canterbury, Port Blakely New Zealand Essential Oils (PBNZEO), is now a global leader in sustainable essential oil production, is among the first essential oil producers worldwide
4. From Paeroa, another success story is AgriSea. They are creating the world’s first commercial seaweed nanocellulose facility. Nanocellulose is a high value material with tensile strength stronger than steel and a co efficient of expansion less than glass making it a very high performance material in many applications.

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“To bring our industry innovators together we are pleased to announce a new conference called Forest Bioeconomy Innovations. It will run on 20-21 May, 2025 in Rotorua. We are bringing international startup leaders together with forest and wood technology innovators to supercharge new processes to complement and eventually replace pulp and paper mills to a large degree,” says Stulen.

“We are also working closely with officials and the Minister at MPI/Te Uru Rakau, Scion's bioeconomy experts and key industry leaders to showcase sustainable and potential bioeconomy export products from New Zealand’s vast forest resources.”

In May 2025 leaders in business innovation and primary industries will gather at this new circular economy event – our NEW Forest Bioeconomy Conference: https://innovatek.co.nz/hubs/forest-bioeconomy/

About Innovatek - Everything we do for industry is for growing and improving our industry. For over 25 years, we have partnered with industry to bring innovators to the podium to share their successes with peers. This formula continues works well and has huge support form industry leaders and innovation specialists. Our local forest and wood products industry continues to foster many young innovators who are bringing technology breakthroughs in their work in the forests up and down our country and want to grow our exports.

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