November 27, 2024 - Beijing Co-organized by China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) and International Association Representing the Nonwovens and Related Industries (EDANA), and supported by International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), the 2024 EurAsian Geosynthetics Symposium (EAGS 24) with the theme of “Innovation Shapes Sustainability” was held in Tai’an, Shandong province of east China on Nov. 22. Nearly 300 delegates from China and overseas participated in the event. Fifteen keynote speeches were delivered.
Under the backdrop of green and sustainable development of the geosynthetics industry, EAGS aims to offer a platform for Asian – and especially Chinese–players in the geosynthetics industry to communicate with their European counterparts on technologies and products.
On behalf of the organizers, Li Lingshen, Vice President of China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC), and Marines Lagemaat, Scientific & Technical Affairs Director of EDANA delivered welcome speeches respectively. Li Lingshen said that it is significant for the Chinese geosynthetics industry to improve green development as well as achieve sustainable development with high quality. He expressed CNITA’s willingness to work more closely with EDANA and other international associations. In addition, Li Lingshen expects EAGS to be a platform for the Asian and European geosynthetics players to exchange views on development and progress of the geosynthetics industry. “we’re well aware of the fact that nonwovens have become essential to the geosynthetics industry, more than ever before. With the impact of climate change the importance of geosynthetics is growing. EDANA is committed to cooperating with and supporting the various stakeholders in this industry.” Marines said.
Li Guimei, President of CNITA introduced the status and trends of geosynthetics and building/construction textiles in China. Taking projects in railway, highway, water conservancy, mining area, port, municipal, construction and other related fields as cases, she analyzed the applications of geosynthetics and building/construction textiles in engineering. Li Guimei said that green manufacturing, intelligent technology, standards and quality enhancement, engineering applications expanding will be the important direction for the development of geosynthetics and building/construction textiles in China.
Sam Allen, President of IGS introduced to the audience that geosynthetics are fundamental for the better practice we strive for, for the preservation of the environment as well as financial resources, for the extension of infrastructure service life, for the conservation and safe storage of water, for the achievement of more resilient infrastructure ad lower carbon footprint construction, and for a more sustainable future. Daniele Cazzuffi, Past President of IGS and Chairman of CEN TC 189, and some other speakers also shared geosynthetics applications for sustainability items, environmental protection and climate change issues.
In addition to sustainability and environmental protection, standardization is also a key topic at the event. Peter Atchison, Chairman of ISO/TC 221 on Geosynthetics, introduced and explained the ISO’s general aims and work, it combines the best available skills in countries across the world to produce a consensus view on best appropriate standards so that goods and services may be used with confidence around the planet. He also described the current emphasis on sustainability across the ISO organization and how this is being adopted across all standards but particularly in Geosynthetics.
Most Chinese speakers mentioned the “Belt and Road Initiative” in their presentations. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, “Belt and Road Initiative” provides space and opportunities for Chinese geotextiles companies to expand overseas businesses in the areas along the belt-and-road regions through product export, construction service, joint venture plant, and other forms.
The day before the conference, CNITA organized a tour to the facilities of Shandong Road New Materials Co. and Tai’an Best Project Material Co. The overseas delegates from Europe, America and Korea praised the automatic production machines, geosynthetics products and houses of the companies. Some delegates said that the Chinese companies such as Shandong Road New Materials Co. are qualified to compete with the overseas competitors, leave more footprints in the international geosynthetics market and expand business to more countries and regions.
On the morning of the conference, CNITA officially launched the book Geosynthetics and Building/Construction Textiles and Application Examples in Infrastructure Project.
The EAGS 2024 took place in conjunction with the ISO/TC 221 annual meetings in Tai’an. On Nov. 21, the 21st Plenary Meeting of ISO/TC 221 on geosynthetics hosted by CNITA was successfully held in Tai'an, and representatives from 31 countries and regions including China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and South Korea participated in the meeting in a hybrid way. The meeting was chaired by Peter Atchison, Chairman of ISO/TC 221. The plenary meeting was preceded by working groups WG2, WG3, WG4, WG5 and WG6 on 19 and 20 November, respectively.
ABOUT EAGS
EAGS is a conference and exhibition covering markets, products, technologies and applications for all types of geosynthetics: geotextiles, geogrids, geonets, geomembranes, geocomposites, geocells and roofing felts and membranes. Innovative topics in line with the sustainability issues are also covered.
It is a unique networking event attracting leading decision makers from across the geosynthetics supply chain, from raw materials to buyers and users of geosynthetics, with specific reference to Greater Europe and Asia. A tabletop exhibition is organized to facilitate networking between participants and companies representatives.
For more information, please contact Mr. Yang Yaolin.
Email: foreignaffairs@cnita.org.cn
