Europe is looking for buyers of biobased. On the roof, we’ve already started

On 21 October, the European Commission launched the Bio-based Europe Alliance in Dublin. More than a hundred European companies have joined. Together they want to speed up the use of biobased materials, with construction products as one of the markets. The alliance works with purchasing commitments: by 2030, biobased materials and applications worth 10 billion euros are to be bought.

What stands out more than the amount is the reason. According to the Commission, many biobased companies get stuck at the step from research and demonstration to the market. Their products are not visible enough and demand for biobased building products is weak. We recognise that. New Circle has one foot on each side of that step.

What is already on the roof?

Our profiles for flat roofs are in production: the biobased roof edge profile, the separation profile, the connector and, since this year, a corner profile. They are made from biobased polyethylene and are mainly used on green roofs. Roofers simply install them as part of their everyday work.

So we have already travelled the road from prototype to product once. With everything that comes with it: production at scale, questions from installers, specifications that still assume aluminium or PVC. We are taking that experience into what is coming next.

What is coming: an adhesive that has to come loose again

New Circle is developing a biobased adhesive for flat roofs that you can detach later. It is based on resin from the copal tree. An indoor version is almost available. The outdoor version is in the testing phase: next month it goes onto a real roof for the first time, in a pilot with a roofing partner.

Why demountable? Picture a heavy flat roof with solar panels, sedum or water retention. The Dutch guideline for closed roofing systems (Vakrichtlijn gesloten dakbedekkingssystemen) recommends full adhesion there, because it limits the risks. Makes sense. But in the common methods for measuring demountability, an adhesive joint is the weakest choice: adhesive scores 0.10, a screw connection 0.80. Anyone who wants a safe heavy roof and a good circularity score has to choose today.

It doesn’t have to be that way. An adhesive that holds for as long as the roof lasts and lets go when it is time to renovate makes roofing and insulation reusable. Whether such an adhesive will also be officially recognised as demountable is the next step. We are working on that too.

The profiles and the adhesive belong together. They end up on the same roof, through the same roofers, with the same idea: what you put on today, you should be able to take off neatly later.

What does the Bio-based Europe Alliance mean for the roof?

A buyers’ commitment says something about direction. The EU wants biobased construction products to be compared fairly with conventional products and is adapting the standards under the Construction Products Regulation accordingly. For an adhesive that falls between two sets of rules, safety on one side and circularity on the other, that is good news. The same goes for profiles that are still weighed against aluminium and PVC.

But an alliance in Brussels doesn’t lay a roof. Roofers who get our products in their hands do. And building owners who look beyond the next renovation: schools, care institutions, housing associations.

European support, work in the region

The development of the adhesive is co-funded by the European Union through the Just Transition Fund (JTF). The fund supports regions that are moving away from fossil industry, in our case the IJmond region. The project is also about skilled workers: together with Nova College in Beverwijk, new roofers get to know this way of bonding during their training.

Want to get involved?

Do you manage buildings with flat roofs, or install them? See which profiles suit your project. Or join us at the adhesive tests. Get in touch with us.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bio-based Europe Alliance?

A voluntary partnership launched by the European Commission on 21 October 2026. It brings together buyers and makers of biobased materials. The goal: to purchase biobased solutions worth 10 billion euros by 2030.

Which biobased roof products does New Circle make?

A roof edge profile, separation profile, connector and corner profile made from biobased polyethylene, mainly for green roofs. New Circle is also developing a demountable biobased adhesive for flat roofs.