L.A. LINIÈRE:
With the assistance of the BPI bank and COdem (regional association promoting the development of eco materials) in Amiens, the agricultural cooperative L.A. LINIERE, located in Bourbourg (450 grower-members, 75 employees, 3 production lines), has just developed a new eco material, BÂTILIN©. It is manufactured from flax shives i.e., the tiny particles of wood in the middle of the stem which represent 50% of the plant. The size of a normal breeze block, BÂTILIN© is a lot lighter and, above all, has a high insulation and moisture-regulating power, making it a particularly interesting material for building professionals. Speaking of which, social housing landlord Flandre Opale Habitat has just starting using it in a pilot site where 4 houses are being built in the Dunkirk area. Sia Habitat would also like to use it for the upcoming renovation of two former mining houses in Méricourt, near Lens. Some architects have also expressed their interest.
“Shives are a co-product from the mechanical extraction of our flaxfibre, a textile fibre renowned for its extreme finesse, great strength and the well-being it provides to those who wear it” (…)
Bertrand Delporte
Director of L.A. Linière
D’INNOV:
The fledgling start-up D’INNOV has also experienced rapid development with Mon Gobelet en lin© (My Flax Tumbler), a reusable tumbler manufactured from a mixture of flax fibres, starch and water and is plastic-free.
VAN ROBAEYS:
Located in Killem (CCHF territory), linen scutching company VAN ROBAEYS was founded in 1929. It now employs 120 workers and produces 8,000 tonnes of scutched flax (long fibres) every year in its two production units. In 2021, the company was awarded industrial investment support funds as part of the French Government’s recovery plan. It then decided to invest 2 million euros in improving its production plant, particularly for processing flax fibres. Having been successful, it also received a grant from the Region, from its Industrial Investment Accelerator Fund for the Hauts-de-France.
Find all the detailed information on the industrial renewal in our latest issue of Dunkerque News
