How to get rid of plastic cutlery? Biodegradable products made out of beer waste

Project Information

FriendlyKnife

Grant agreement ID: 868340

DOI 10.3030/868340

Closed project

EC signature date 24 April 2019

Start date 1 June 2019

End date 30 November 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

FRIENDLYKNIFE SP. Z O.O.
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FriendlyKnife (How to get rid of plastic cutlery? Biodegradable products made out of beer waste)

Reporting period: 2019-06-01 to 2019-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The problem addressed is to reduce amount of plastic waste in environment. The current moment is perfect for implementing this type of action. Social consciousness is growing, people see the need of change and more and more countries are prohibiting plastics, for example EU regulations prohibit the production and sell of plastic disposable items (plates, cutlery, straws, hygienic sticks) from 2021, and Australia, India and other countries ban plastic bags. This will force the market to look for alternative solutions, preserving the convenience of disposable products and a low price, while being environmentally friendly.
The goal of FriendlyKnife company is to develop new technology of single use products made - spoons, forks and knives - with further possibility to expand the technology to other products that can be used instead of plastic ones, for example plates or cups.
The new product must meet the following requirements in order to be successfully placed on the market:
1. It must comply with the Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment
2. It must be of perfect quality for user
3. It must be offered in good price
The aim of the research undertaken should therefore be to optimize the production process in such a way as to be able to offer the product at the lowest possible price while maintaining the desired profit margin.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the project we developed our idea accordingly to the research we made in the scope of the requirements for product in contact with food in target markets, legal regulations and target markets analysis. We have carried out a meticulous financial analysis of the planned investment and we confirmed the technical and financial feasibility of the project.
As the result of our project, the developed concept was submitted for patent protection. We also contacted with dedicated coach and submitted to EIC pilot Corporate Days with AB InBev, which will take place in Leuven/Belgium on 19/02/2020 and 20/02/2020.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We have reached the level of readiness that allows us to start the second phase in order to develop a functional product.

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