UPCYCLE
UPCYCLE is a Horizon Europe project that turns non-recyclable mixed plastic waste into next-generation highly recyclable and/or biodegradable packaging materials. Building on the H2020 UPLIFT results, which reached TRL5–6 (small pilot scale), UPCYCLE advances these technologies to TRL7, addressing key challenges in scalability, process intensification, and industrialisation. With 19 partners across 10 countries, the project focuses on four real-world packaging use-cases (salad and cheese films, beverage bottles, and personal-care rigid packaging). By combining chemo-enzymatic depolymerisation, microbial upcycling, and eco-design principles, UPCYCLE aims to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% and reduce production costs by up to 40% compared to current bioplastics.
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BioPackMan
Food and material packaging is largely dominated by unsustainable solutions that often use materials like plastic, leading to large quantities of waste and requiring unsustainable manufacturing processes. This creates a strong need for green and sustainable packaging solutions. The EU-funded BioPackMan project will design and develop biodegradable compounds based on biodegradable polymer materials, enabling recyclable packaging with chemical resistance, thermal stability, gas permeability, and application-specific mechanical strength. Furthermore, to meet diverse packaging requirements, the project will develop compounds with tailored morphology, allowing them to meet specific needs. Finally, it will establish a complete value chain to maximise sustainability and innovation. Coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the consortium brings together 19 partners from different European countries, including leading research institutions, industrial innovators, and SMEs.
Greco
GRECO is an innovative Horizon Europe project designed to address key challenges in the bioeconomy and sustainability sectors. Coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the project brings together a consortium of experts from twelve European countries working towards impactful solutions that advance the bio-based industry. GRECO develops new food packaging solutions based on bio-based, biodegradable and recyclable materials, focusing on PLA-based packaging designed to meet strict food safety standards while being easier to recycle or compost.
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BeUp
Be-UP is a Horizon Europe project aiming to accelerate the industrial uptake of next-generation biodegradable polymers for sustainable packaging. The consortium is developing innovative aliphatic–aromatic biopolyesters with increased renewable content, produced through new synthesis routes combining bio-based building blocks, advanced catalysts, and kinetic modelling tools. These materials will be blended with commercial biopolymers and validated through key industrial processes to deliver TRL7 packaging demonstrators, supported by robust biodegradation data across multiple end-of-life scenarios.
Last Updated 07/01/2026