Ready meal trays made from fossil-based (CPET) plastics are an eminent present and increasing environmental issue. When used, CPET trays have to be incinerated or used as landfill. A fully bio-based and biodegradable alterative with equal to better properties would be a game-changer. A full value chain will demonstrate the techno-economical viability (including customer satisfaction) of a 100% bio-based and 100% biodegradable alternative made from an innovative cellulose-based composite, using a new lamination technology. The following objectives will be met: at least 10% lighter than fossil alternatives, a radical improved environmental footprint over the product life cycle and more than 80% reduction CO2 emission. This action will be executed by: BIC member Södra (SWE | resource material), Huhtamaki Molded Fibre Technology (NL | technology provider), Huhtamaki Lurgan (UK |packaging producer) and Samworth as an UK | meal packer (SaladWorks) and a partner for high end UK retailers. A patented mixture of cellulose and GMO-free PLA called DuraPulp, laminated with a new generation biofilm made from BioPBS, using a novel lamination method are deployed to create the technical properties (low O2 barrier, heat and wet resistance) needed for a high-end ready meal tray. This action is a potential game-changer for the: retail, airline catering, meal-services for elderly, and remote operations (civil & military). The economic, environmental and employment impact are significant. A full and powerful value chain, from resource material up-to-consumer, will execute this action in order to gather the evidence needed to decide upon a large-scale commercial market introduction and necessary flagship investment plan.

The overall objectives are to demonstrate a new biobased, renewable and economically viable carbon fibre (CF) precursor – lignin – produced in Europe with European raw material and to develop conditions for its processing into CF and structural CF composites. The target is a cost-effective biobased CF for use in reinforced composites delivering sufficient enough strength properties for large-volume automotive applications. Reducing vehicle weight is a decisive factor for successful fulfilment of the future targets in EU regulations regarding CO2 emissions from the automotive sector. CF reinforced plastics has been introduced as a low-weight material replacing/complementing steel and aluminium. Today’s CF production is based on use of a petroleum-based raw material, PAN, which is costly due to the starting precursor and the process for turning it into CF. Most PAN used in Europe is imported. The automotive sector has identified a need for a cheaper lower-grade CF to meet the demands of components in normal consumer cars. Lignin from kraft pulp mills is a green, sustainable, abundant and cost-efficient new potential CF precursor. The European pulp and paper industry has a need for additional revenues due to the global competition and the decline in printing and writing paper. Successful lignin applications like CF will create new business opportunities and new jobs also in rural areas where the pulp mills are located. The development of lignin-based CF is still in laboratory scale and material properties meeting high-quality product demands is the main challenge. Now a new technology in commercial operation makes it possible to produce lignin with new properties, higher purity and with less impact on the pulp mill operation. The idea is to tailor kraft lignin properties already in the lignin separation/upgrading and optimise the lignin for target automotive applications. The consortium has unique competence through the complete value chain to realise this new concept.

ENTRUST brings together 16 leading research institutions and enterprise from 5 different countries across Europe to establish a Doctoral Network that will train a cohort of 11 Doctoral Researchers (DRs) in an intersectoral, international and interdisciplinary setting with the aim to establish a new generation of Data Executives. These graduates will have obtained a PhD and are able to take on leading roles in academia, industry or policy sector. They will be experts on agri-data governance sharing data in a fair, transparent, and trusted environment. ENTRUST demonstrate how agri-data from farmers can be made available, governed, and exploited, with benefits shared in a fair way. ENTRUST will enable DRs to excel in their future career perspectives in the intersection between computing, information systems and social science and thus, provide the DRs with enhanced career perspectives, combined with an innovation-oriented mind-set and creativity, thereby forming a new generation of Data Executives. ENTRUST provides the foundation for doctoral training programme on agri-data governance that will set a standard on including gender dimension and sustainability aspects within PhD training. Entrust also addresses current challenges of data governance in agriculture and farming and will provide scientific results on (1) adoption factors of Data Technologies to allow farmers to unlock data potential, (2) on enhanced Data Governance practices to ensure a fair and trustworthy agri-data space and (3) on new types of innovative Business models for fair value sharing. This is combined with network training and research and outreach to maximise the project impact. Entrust provides input in science, data governance and agricultural and many other sectors. Entrust supports the European Data Strategy foreseeing European Data Spaces as the key instrument to democratize the access to data and unlock its full value, in particular for the agri-food sector.

European forests are expected to provide a broad range of ecosystem services (ES). This capacity is however threatened by the uncertainties of climate change, the complex dynamics of evolving global markets and the pressures for increased use of bioenergy. Such challenges cannot be effectively addressed with an uncritical regional or national commitment to traditional forest management models (FMMs), as these are unlikely to ensure the sustained long-term provisioning of desired ES, let alone their optimised delivery. ALTERFOR’s goal is thus to facilitate the implementation of FMMs better suited to meeting the challenges of the 21st century by: (1) Identifying and developing FMMs robust in their capacity to deliver ES and overcome projected socio-ecological risks and uncertainties; (2) Assessing the impact of different FMM combinations in terms of resultant ES baskets on the European and landscape level, and (3) Facilitating the implementation of desired FMMs and improving cross-national knowledge transfer regarding their benefits, costs, management, and utilization. The project will involve a consortium of 19 organisations from nine countries chosen due to their possession of the transdisciplinary expertise necessary to achieve these objectives, and for ensuring an encompassing representation of Europe’s socio-economic conditions and prevailing forest management paradigms. Based on carefully designed case studies, the consortium will make sure realistic models of forest owner behaviour are employed; guarantee the involvement of forest stakeholders throughout the project; anchor the desired FMMs to relevant forest actors; and help disseminate project findings to local, national and European stakeholders. The main long-term impact of ALTERFOR is the implementation of FMMs that secure the capacity of Europe’s forests to continue providing a balanced ES basket that societies will depend upon over the coming century.