Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE (Developing and Implementing Sustainability-Based Solutions for Bio-Based Plastic Production and Use to Preserve Land and Sea Environmental Quality in Europe)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-01-31
The project “Developing and implementing sustainability-based solutions for bio-based plastic production and use to preserve land and sea environmental quality in Europe” (BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE) delivered sustainable strategies and solutions for bio-based plastics production in support of the EU-Plastic Strategy and a circular economy, taking into account the complex and dynamic processes of societal transformation triggered by a new awareness of the use of bio-based plastics. Using the opportunity which emerges from grounded participatory research and innovation process, BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE focused on innovative product design, health and safety standards, end-of-life solutions, and environmental and economic assessments of the life cycle of products. An additional contribution to more sustainable circularity, was to develop business models for the efficient reuse and recycling of bio-based plastics, while ensuring the safety of recycled materials for the environment and humans.
During the 52 months of project duration, all six specific objectives identified below have been successfully fulfilled.
1 - to define, test and deploy innovative product design strategies and to pursue specific Innovative Business Models based on these strategies, targeting efficient reuse and recycling approaches and solutions for bio-based plastics, including those required to ensure the health and safety of recycled materials when used for toys, packaging foodstuffs and shipping, fishing, and aquaculture equipment.
2 - to map current waste collection and management schemes as well as recycling inefficiencies, identifying, listing, and addressing some of the technical and economic barriers to bio-based plastics recycling as regards established and/or alternative recycling options, also including safety and impacts on ecosystems and define key priority areas for enhancing waste collection and management.
3 - to investigate the potential impacts of bioplastic on the terrestrial and aquatic environments, including on flora, fauna and possible implications to human health.
4 - to build a biodegradable plastics sustainability framework, also by producing a “Bioplastic Safety Protocol” (as a reliable means to ensure the safety of bioplastic materials), and by a mapping focusing on the applications where biodegradable and compostable solutions could support public policies.
5 - to develop Innovative Business Models facilitating efficient reuse and recycling strategies and solutions, creating a better framework for systemic innovation and uptake of results through broad stakeholder engagement, improving the professional skills and competencies of those working and being trained to work within the blue economy and the bioeconomy, through the execution of a set of training activities.
6 - to design, test, and deploy a coordinated communication strategy and the related tools for cooperative knowledge sharing of Best Practices and Lessons Learned.
During the 52 months of project duration, all six specific objectives identified below have been successfully fulfilled.
1 - to define, test and deploy innovative product design strategies and to pursue specific Innovative Business Models based on these strategies, targeting efficient reuse and recycling approaches and solutions for bio-based plastics, including those required to ensure the health and safety of recycled materials when used for toys, packaging foodstuffs and shipping, fishing, and aquaculture equipment.
2 - to map current waste collection and management schemes as well as recycling inefficiencies, identifying, listing, and addressing some of the technical and economic barriers to bio-based plastics recycling as regards established and/or alternative recycling options, also including safety and impacts on ecosystems and define key priority areas for enhancing waste collection and management.
3 - to investigate the potential impacts of bioplastic on the terrestrial and aquatic environments, including on flora, fauna and possible implications to human health.
4 - to build a biodegradable plastics sustainability framework, also by producing a “Bioplastic Safety Protocol” (as a reliable means to ensure the safety of bioplastic materials), and by a mapping focusing on the applications where biodegradable and compostable solutions could support public policies.
5 - to develop Innovative Business Models facilitating efficient reuse and recycling strategies and solutions, creating a better framework for systemic innovation and uptake of results through broad stakeholder engagement, improving the professional skills and competencies of those working and being trained to work within the blue economy and the bioeconomy, through the execution of a set of training activities.
6 - to design, test, and deploy a coordinated communication strategy and the related tools for cooperative knowledge sharing of Best Practices and Lessons Learned.
The whole BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project was driven by its overall objective “The development of sustainable strategies and solutions for bio-based plastic products, as well as the development of approaches focused on circular innovation for the whole bio-plastics system. These may be deployed to support policy-making, innovation and technology transfer”. The whole life cycle of BBPs together with its societal consequences by the according management structure was covered. Eight exemplary fields of application (reusable cutlery, rigid and soft packaging, agricultural mulch films, toys, fishing baits, fishing crates and marine geomaterial) were established leading to the adequate goals of compound developments, and demonstrators for the target applications were produced in small or lab or pilot scale. Plastic tools (cutlery) or rigid packaging (fish crates) were chosen as target applications for hard compounds based on PLA. A new compound was successfully developed which might be set on market by partner company ABM. PBS-based films are considered as exemplary applications for soft packaging, while PHBV-based compounds were developed for mulch films. Here not only new compounds without the fossil-based PBAT, but also a new multilayer technology was developed and tested in pre-industrial pilot scale. Finally, PHBV-based compounds were developed for the application as out-door toys again in three development generations with proved applicability in small scale pilot productions. For all material classes the assessment of end-of-life scenarios was carried out. This was done in WP4 in a broader context considering “non-project BBP materials,” as well. As a result, the Handbook on the impacts of bio-based and biodegradable plastics on existing waste management frameworks” was compiled, published and implemented to the municipalities in a series of 4 workshops conducted in Greece, Italy, Lithuania and Estonia. The results were screened and investigated more in-depth with respect to a safe production and application and a safety protocol was published. In addition, the potentials of these materials were highlighted using Environmental Live Cycle Assessments (ELCAs).
The BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project is strongly engaging stakeholders to become part of the solution in the field of bio-based and biodegradable plastics. Within the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (SES), five levels of stakeholder engagement have been identified. For each of them, different protocols have been established to define the work and collect information within a centralized and efficient system. At the moment, over 3,000 stakeholders have already been introduced to this system. A close collaboration has been established with the European Bioplastics Association, through mutual participation in events organized by both parties, several meetings, discussions, and active participation in a joint communication of progress within the BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project.
To underscore the relevance of the BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project by referring to a current plastic waste problem, the project developed an augmented reality solution to increase awareness of the need to reduce plastic littering, visualizing the issue of current pandemic usage of face masks by offering information about their efficiency, sustainability, and raising awareness of their slow, harmful degradation to the environment.
The BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project contributed successfully to reaching the expected impacts and beyond. An important impact of the project is considered to be achieved via scientific publications, with 48 scientific publications published in high-impact international journals, and many new scientific publications still to follow.
Finally, two European networks have been established:
"European Bioplastics Research Network (EBRN)" which runs as a LinkedIn group counting over 1000 researchers, industries and policy makers, and network organised 7 events reaching the most relevant and key stakeholders of the project
“Historic Cities Against Plastic Waste” (HISCAP) network, which consists of 88 municipalities across Europe and 6 events and 4 workshops organised reaching about 800 stakeholders.
To underscore the relevance of the BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project by referring to a current plastic waste problem, the project developed an augmented reality solution to increase awareness of the need to reduce plastic littering, visualizing the issue of current pandemic usage of face masks by offering information about their efficiency, sustainability, and raising awareness of their slow, harmful degradation to the environment.
The BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project contributed successfully to reaching the expected impacts and beyond. An important impact of the project is considered to be achieved via scientific publications, with 48 scientific publications published in high-impact international journals, and many new scientific publications still to follow.
Finally, two European networks have been established:
"European Bioplastics Research Network (EBRN)" which runs as a LinkedIn group counting over 1000 researchers, industries and policy makers, and network organised 7 events reaching the most relevant and key stakeholders of the project
“Historic Cities Against Plastic Waste” (HISCAP) network, which consists of 88 municipalities across Europe and 6 events and 4 workshops organised reaching about 800 stakeholders.