From 21–23 October 2025, BBoBB partners met in Kortrijk during the WONDER Festival an event celebrating creativity and biobased innovation.
From 16 October to 2 November 2025, the city of Kortrijk once again hosted the WONDER Festival – an inspiring event that brings together art, creativity, design, and technology. This annual festival highlights innovative applications of circular and biobased materials, turning waste into valuable resources and promoting sustainable design and production.
Amid this vibrant setting, 15 partners from the BBoBB consortium gathered in Kortrijk for the biannual project meeting, held on 21–23 October 2025.
Discussing Progress and Future Directions
The meeting was opened by project leader Charlotte Strijbos, who guided partners through the overall project progress and the latest developments. Together, the partners explored how BBoBB can further strengthen and scale up biobased value chains across the North Sea Region.
Following a guided tour through Kortrijk, participants took a closer look at the activities and progress within the three work packages. Regional updates and experiences were exchanged, creating a valuable dialogue between partners and inspiring future collaboration.
Learning from Regional Expertise
The day concluded with a visit to Hippo Lino, a family-run company that has been working with flax for generations. The visit highlighted the strong connection between West Flanders and the flax industry where traditional expertise meets modern innovation. At Hippo Lino, flax is mechanically scutched, and over time, the techniques have been refined to make the process more efficient and sustainable.
BBoBB at WONDER Festival
On Thursday, 23 October, we attended a guided WONDER tour in Kortrijk, exploring the city’s main locations. The WONDER festival, running from 16 October to 2 November 2025, transforms Kortrijk into a vibrant platform for design, art, innovation, and technology.
The partner meeting concluded with the BBoBB exhibition at WONDER, organized by Designregio Kortrijk and UGent Campus Kortrijk. The exhibition showcased how biobased materials can open new opportunities for innovative interior design and sustainable living. It was a proud moment to see the work of BBoBB designers featured on this international stage, connecting creative design with biobased innovation.
After our inspirational tour at WONDER, we attended the Creativity Summit focused on biobased design and materials. We were inspired by visionary designers like Henriëtte Waal and Amanda Brezell whose work shows how creativity can drive sustainable innovation and community impact. We are proud to have supported the summit.
Our visit in Kortrijk concluded with our own BBoBB exposition at Wonder, organized by our partners Designregio Kortrijk and UGent Campus Kortrijk. The exhibition showcased how biobased materials can offer inspiring opportunities for innovative interior design and sustainable living. We are very proud that the work of our own BBoBB designers were showcased at this international stage.
We thank all partners for their active contributions, engagement, and inspiration throughout the meeting. Together, we are building a more sustainable and circular future for the North Sea Region biobased and beyond.