Knotweed Company

Can we imagine a viable future for knotweed in the Netherlands and halt the process of ethnic cleansing? Introduced from Japan in the 19th century as a decorative plant and as fodder, it is now viewed as an ‘invasive’ and hunted down everywhere. But today’s narrative ignores all its benefits as a source of food, medicine and material. Instead, we are told to see it as a plant with bad intentions. Virgile Durando set up the ‘Knotweed Company’ that would collect it and turn it into a productive plant. By embracing it as a precious resource, he invites us to reconsider our relationship with it and all it has to offer. Acclaim at last for the Japanese knotweed.