The European Commission will be conducting a workshop on “Regions at Work for the Bio-Economy” on 7-9 July 2014 in Rennes (France). The workshop is a joint initiative of DG Enterprise and Industry and Région Bretagne. It has been designed to start a dialogue on helping entrepreneurs convert bio-waste into efficient fertilizers, within an equitable regulatory framework and without unacceptable financial risks. The workshop is expected to convene a wide range of regional European stakeholders facing the challenges posed by transforming excess biomass into fertilizing materials and struggling to place their resulting products on the EU market. ECOFI will be represented at the meeting by Benoît Planques, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Italpollina.

The recycling and reuse of nutrients is a key concern of ECOFI and one of the added benefits of organic-based fertilizers. ECOFI’s members make a significant contribution to the circular and bio-based economy that will be a central focus of the forthcoming workshop.