CELULOSE BEIRA INDUSTRIAL SA

Their core work

CELBI is one of Portugal's largest eucalyptus pulp producers, operating an industrial kraft pulp mill in Figueira da Foz that converts eucalyptus wood into bleached pulp primarily for the paper and board industry. In the H2020 programme they contributed their industrial-scale cellulose processing expertise and access to real wood feedstocks as a participant in biorefinery and green chemistry research. Their two projects focused on developing novel fiber extraction methods — including Deep Eutectic Solvents — and on creating sustainable wood-to-textile value chains. They function as the industrial anchor in research consortia, providing the manufacturing context that academic and SME partners cannot replicate.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2015–2018), CELBI engaged with upstream process chemistry — specifically novel green solvents (Deep Eutectic Solvents) for fiber modification, a relatively exploratory technology at the time. By their second project (2019–2023), the scope expanded downstream to the full wood-to-textile chain, incorporating market-oriented green chemical processes aimed at displacing synthetic textile fibers. The trajectory points from process-level chemistry experiments toward integrated bioeconomy value chains that link CELBI's forestry assets directly to textile end markets.

CELBI is moving from upstream process chemistry toward full-chain bioeconomy integration, positioning their eucalyptus pulp infrastructure as feedstock for high-value bio-based textiles and green chemicals — a direction well-aligned with EU Green Deal textile and forestry strategies.

How they like to work

CELBI participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as project coordinator — a pattern typical of large industrial companies that contribute manufacturing assets and real-world testing capacity rather than leading research agendas. Their two projects combined involved 33 unique partners, indicating large, multi-stakeholder consortia of roughly 16–17 partners each. For a prospective collaborator, this means CELBI will be a reliable industrial-scale participant who can validate research at mill conditions, but research direction and project coordination will come from others.

CELBI has worked with 33 unique partners across 11 countries across just two projects, pointing to large, pan-European consortia typical of Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking grants. Their geographic footprint spans much of the EU, with no evidence of a tight regional cluster.

What sets them apart

CELBI is a rare asset in EU research consortia: a genuine large-scale industrial pulp producer willing to put real mill infrastructure into collaborative research. Unlike university or research institute partners, they provide industrial validation — access to actual eucalyptus wood feedstocks, kraft pulping equipment, and production-scale fiber streams that cannot be replicated in a laboratory. For any consortium working on wood-based fibers, bio-based textiles, or green biorefinery processes, CELBI offers a direct path from lab results to industrial-scale feasibility testing.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GRETE
  A 4-year RIA project (2019–2023) targeting the high-value wood-to-textile market using green chemistry — directly relevant to the EU textile sustainability agenda and CELBI's strategic interest in diversifying beyond commodity pulp.
• PROVIDES
  An early BBI-RIA project deploying Deep Eutectic Solvents for fiber processing — a chemically ambitious approach that positioned CELBI in an emerging green solvent research area before the technology gained broad EU traction.