The DIRECTIVE 2009/128/EC ON THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF PESTICIDES gives directions for attaining the sustainable use of pesticides in the EU. The objective is to minimize risks and impacts for the environment and human health by promoting alternative strategies. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is one of the cornerstones of the Directive. NOVATERRA aims to reduce the use and negative impacts of CONTENTIOUS PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS (PPP) for integrated pest, disease and weed management in the two main Mediterranean crops in Europe: grapevines and olives. NOVATERRA will develop a pool of novel, integrated and sustainable strategies, technically and economically viable, resulting from three different approaches: a) To develop novel combinations of ALTERNATIVE, non-synthetic PRODUCTS and biological control techniques for plant protection, b) To optimize the application and dosage of PPP through SMART FARMING technologies and c) To mitigate the appearance of pest and diseases through the use of new SOIL MANAGEMENT strategies. Those approaches will be evaluated and validated in a combination of integrated solutions for updating and improving IPM strategies. Indicators for measuring the impact of crop management and protection on human health, air, water, soil, biodiversity, energy will be implemented. Further analyses will be done in terms of economic cost-benefit for farmers to adopt the different techniques and farmers and consumers’ willingness to pay. The consortium composition will guarantee a multi-actor approach with contributions coming from research institutions, growers, technological SMEs, auxiliary industry and relevant associations. Finally, the Exploitation Plan together with the Communication and Dissemination Plan will ensure the outreach of results among the stakeholders in the European farming sector. NOVATERRA outputs will also be key for further discussion with policymakers in terms of EU plant health policies and risk assessment around PPPs usage.

The packaging industry is responsible of around 60% of post-consumer SUP wastes and most likely to become litter in natural environments. While factors such as fast consumption patterns, safety concerns or compact size, hinder effective packaging waste recycling, the need for safe alternative biodegradable solutions is mandatory. E-OILÉ will address safe and sustainable biodegradable packaging solutions close to the market by: a) demonstrating at TRL 7 cost effective production of biodegradable materials based on novel biopolyesters and polysaccharides, engineered to enhance barrier and mechanical performance, to replace Polyolefin materials (PP and PE) and PET in monodose packaging solutions ecodesigned as biodegradable monomaterial structures or combination with coating technologies and following the SSbD framework ; b) implementing a circular business model, food and cosmetic products, through 4 Uses Cases (UC): Olive oil- UC1; oily sauces- UC2; Body oil- UC3 and Oil serum- UC4); c) validating the packaging performance, shelf life, safety and sustainability along the whole supply chain (from material producers to end users) and demonstrating complete biodegradability following relevant standards and in environmentally relevant conditions and, therefore, sustainable End-of-Life (EoL) pathways for the new packaging solutions in combination with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced modelling mechanisms for digitally-assisted accurate prediction of degradation processes. The consortium is integrated by 15 partners of the whole supply chain: large companies, SMEs and Start-up as materials producers (2) to the end-users of food and cosmetic sectors (2) through the packaging producers (3). Partnership will also involve supporting RTOs and other non-profit organizations with expertise in disciplines such as compounding, SSbD, biodegradation testing, packaging and product validation, exploitation, SSH for consumer engagement and digital technologies