JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #91 - August/September 2014 - 5

the same from sector to sector,
including leisure, automotive and
aerospace, which are the main
target sectors for these fibres.
Luckily, we've been able to observe that research for one always
benefits the expectations of the
others. The responsiveness and
vitality of the leisure sector paved
the way royally for flax and hemp
fibres while the automotive sector
put the spotlight on their many
high-performance advantages and
the aerospace sector integrated
them into a promising industrialization process.
JCM: What benefits are there
now for manufacturers in a move
towards natural fibres?

J.P. : The mechanical perfor-

mance of flax and hemp reinforcement doesn't just copy those of
other fibres: there are advantages
in terms of low density coupled
with a specific stiffness, effective impact, torsional and shear
strength, vibration absorption
and good acoustic and thermal
properties. These advantages provide manufacturers with practical
solutions, without constraining
their manufacturing processes.
Flax and hemp are compatible
with optimization and innovation, and over time will gradually
become an obvious choice for
manufacturers: control over the
raw materials used, end-of-life

Range of flax & hemp preforms
available on the market

improvement for products, and
low energy consumption during
the manufacturing process and for
the end use.
JCM: How does the CELC stimulate
and organize research and development with all of its members?

J.P. : Our main mission is to

support R&D and to pass along
and promote the initiatives of our
industry's players. We rely on the
entrepreneurial involvement of
each one of our members and on
their individual R&D processes,
and are committed to pooling resources to boost the profile of all.
Already in 2009, we supported
our industry's initiatives through
our European scientific committee (CSE), which associates
basic and applied research skills.
The CSE consists of ten research
scientists from international
universities that excel in the field
of materials. The committee is directly in touch with the manufacturers in the industry it works for,
sharing its knowledge on analysis
and characterization techniques
to serve breakthrough innovations that anticipate industrial
requirements.
Constant intelligence enables
us to facilitate an intersection of
our industry's manufacturing
capabilities with the needs of all
the different industrial sectors. By
bringing companies, universities
and research centres together, we
can focus the innovation capabilities of a European skills network
on flax and hemp fibres.
As for development, we support
our industry's innovations by
implementing promotional
campaigns at the European and
international levels. The most tangible example of that is our strong,
unifying presence at international
trade shows. We can credibly
recommend flax and hemp to our
institutional partners.

Mindful of market
imperatives, we
support our industry
in its standardization
and product referencing initiatives.
One practical example is the recent creation of harmonized
datasheet templates
for preforms, to
serve as guidelines
for all flax and hemp
preform manufacturers and users
within a standardized ISO framework.

Harmonized datasheet templates for preform,
standardized ISO framework

JCM: How does the CELC organize
its contacts with counterparts, and
who are they?

J.P. : Our missions as the only European agro-industrial organization cut across the board in terms
of cross-disciplinarity, where there
are hardly any organizations that
cover such a broad range from
upstream to downstream. As a
result, we give priority to specific
partnerships, e.g. the agreement
that we set up with the industry &
agricultural resource competitive
cluster IAR, which has an international outlook. Our objectives
converge on the development of
agro-materials, and we pool our
activities in that precise context to
create an environment that fosters
innovation.

JCM: What is the development
potential for natural fibres in the
international market?

J.P. : We work in close intel-

ligence with industrially oriented
research programmes from a
qualitative and quantitative point
of view to assess the growing
potential, especially for highperformance composites, where
there is innovation all along the
value chain.
With its structured value chain,

No91 August - September 2014 /

our flax and hemp sector is now
considered as a reliable partner by
major international groups. The
sector's close, active relationship with these manufacturers,
for example in the leisure and
automotive sectors, is reinforced
by synergies that will boost international development.
JCM: What are the CELC's next
challenges?

J.P. : Our information and

promotion strategy is based on
an ecosystem that is coordinated
by scientists, manufacturers,
distributors, the general public
and consumers. It is up to us to
fine-tune our actions so that each
player is integrated appropriately
into a virtuous circle. The empowerment instinct in some becomes
a source of inspiration for others.
Mustering investment on the part
of industrial groups, anticipating
the requirements of the public authorities and yoking our industry's
initiatives is a long-term effort.
However, in the short term, the
promotional campaigns we have
led in Europe are perfectly repeatable at the international level. n
More information:
www.europeanflax.com
technical@mastersoflinen.com

jec composites magazine 5

http://www.europeanflax.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #91 - August/September 2014

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