Converting organic waste into sustainable bio-based components

Waste2BioComp project aims to demonstrate relevant scale production of bio-based products and materials, as alternatives to traditional materials with high environmental footprint, using innovative manufacturing technologies. The project integrates all stages in the bio-based products´ life cycle, starting from R&I activities regarding the sourcing of feedstocks for the development of bio-based precursors and intermediate materials, smart inkjet printing techniques, and smart manufacturing technologies for final products, and the final demonstrators, which will entail the production on a relevant scale of the following bio-based products: shoe sole materials with different hardness; three-layered shoe insoles; plastic films/packaging with different flexibilities; social face masks; fashion garments printed with bio-based inks; leather and textile shoes printed with bio-based inks; paper for packaging printed with bio-based inks. Waste2BioComp will also develop sustainability and toxicity assessments to the developed materials and products, as well as re-manufacturing and recycling approaches to ensure circularity by closing the material loop. Furthermore, the project will develop dedicated training activities to support the creation of a skilled workforce in biomaterial-based manufacturing sectors, particularly for the textile, footwear, and packaging activities.

Therefore, Waste2BioComp will have a significative impact on the reduction of the use of fossil-based materials, not only in the approached three value chains (textiles, packaging, and footwear), which are highly resource and polluting intensive sectors, but also with potential for several other sectors and applications.

The project will run for 36 months, and it will be constituted by 13 partners from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.