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Granting society with LOw environmental impact innovative PACKaging

Project description

Towards zero impact from foods, and their packaging

As the majority of food is packaged, our ability to effectively reduce pollution from plastic usage, food waste and the environmental impact of food remains limited. Therefore, the EU-funded GLOPACK project aims to enhance and expedite the development of innovative packaging solutions that can mitigate food waste and facilitate the circular management of food and food packaging for end users and consumers. Specifically, GLOPACK seeks to accelerate the use of biodegradable materials derived from the conversion of agrifood residues for packaging purposes. It also focuses on the implementation of active packaging techniques that enhance food preservation and extend shelf life without the need for additives. Additionally, the project incorporates radio frequency identification-enabled wireless food spoilage indicators, representing a new generation of self-adjusting food date labels.

Objective

GLOPACK proposes a cutting-edge strategy addressing the technical and societal barriers to spread in our social system, innovative eco-efficient packaging able to reduce food environmental footprint.
Focusing on accelerating the transition to a circular economy concept, GLOPACK aims to support users and consumers’ access to innovative packaging solutions enabling the reduction and circular management of agro-food, including packaging, wastes. Building from existing key enabling but simply applicable technologies, GLOPACK will focus on increasing the TRL of the three main promising advances in the food packaging area: (1) bio-circular (biodegradable materials issued from agro-food residues conversion) packaging materials, (2) active packaging to improve food preservation and shelf-life without additives and (3) RFID enabled wireless food spoilage indicator as new generation of self-adjusting food date label.
GLOPACK strategy will tackle the diffusion of these innovation through the whole stakeholders chains, from the researcher up to the consumer, i.e. the uptake by packaging industry through pilot and large-scale processing for the selected technologies, by food companies through the deployment of a software tool for decision making and for providing proof of usefulness to all stakeholders, by others users (e.g. retailers) and consumer through user-driven adoption strategies, cost-benefit analysis and validation and retro-active adjustment in close to real conditions. Validation of the solutions including compliance with legal requirements, economic feasibility and environmental impact will push forward the three technologies tested and the related decision-making tool from TRL 3-4 to 7 for a rapid and easy market uptake contributing therefore to strengthen European companies’ competitiveness in an always more globalised and connected world.

Call for proposal

H2020-SFS-2016-2017

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Sub call

H2020-SFS-2017-1

Coordinator

UNIVERSITE DE MONTPELLIER
Net EU contribution
€ 730 835,00
Address
163 RUE AUGUSTE BROUSSONNET
34090 Montpellier
France

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Region
Occitanie Languedoc-Roussillon Hérault
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 791 271,25

Participants (21)