Periodic Reporting for period 3 - INN-PRESSME (open INNovation ecosystem for sustainable Plant-based nano-enabled biomateRials deploymEnt for packaging, tranSport and conSuMEr goods)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-01-31
Europe is currently very dependent on fossil raw materials. Since these resources are scarce in the EU, reducing this dependency is important. Novel bio-based materials are widely studied in laboratory scale to replace fossil materials. However, developing, and testing biobased products in larger scale require time and special pilot facilities to bring them to the market. The INN-PRESSME OITB tackles this by associating these competences as scale up services, allowing companies to get access to pilots for feedstock conversion, formulation and processing of nano-enabled biomaterials. The main objective of the project was to set up a Single-Entry Point (SEP) for the INN-PRESSME OITB that would be operational after the project ends providing these services for companies scaling up their innovations. During the project the OITB was developed by upgrading 16 pilot lines (PLs), which were validated by developing nine test cases (TCs) together with industrial partners producing products for packaging, automotive, energy, and consumer goods markets. Almost all PLs reached TRL6-7, with upgrades including tools for inline quality control, real-time monitoring, and increased reproducibility. TRL7 was not reached for all PLs for varying reasons, the most common being that the starting TRL for some PLs was lower and for some, the process remained as a batch process. The circularity of the developed TCs was validated through recyclability and biodegradability tests showing that all TCs have at least one sustainable end-of-life option. Furthermore, the operational procedures and services of the OITB were validated by organising two successful Open Calls (OCs) in which SMEs outside the project consortium had the opportunity to test the OITB services. Through the OCs 11 new TCs were developed using the upgraded piloting facilities, giving clear indication that there is a pull towards the services provided by the OITB. All these measures facilitated the development of seamless cooperation between the SEP and the service providers. The OITB has now been established and is operational with STAM acting as the SEP. The OITB will ensure competitive prices to test biomaterials in their development phase and reduce time-to-market by testing the developed solutions before industrial scale investments are made.
16 PLs were upgraded and the validation of the pilot lines was performed by finding the right processing conditions for upscaling the TCs. During the product development, the final parameters were defined and adjusted based on the experience and feedback from the industrial partners. The nine TCs were smart labels for packaging, fibre-based stand-up pouches, biofoam boxes, cosmetic tubes, interior and exterior automotive components, ultracapacitors, personalised inner shoe soles and sports goods. Six of the nine demonstrators showed business potential, and the work will be continued by the industrial partners.
The work continued with the two Open Calls, which extended the OITB procedures to a wider array of potential end-users, and markets, diversifying the project's ecosystem and broadening the range of innovative solutions offered. The received proposals were evaluated by external and internal reviewers based on the selection criteria defined in the beginning of the process. 11 of them were determined as the most suitable for the OITB. The selected new TCs not only were the first to test our facilities but also validated that the operational procedures of the OITB work.
As the main outcome of the eco-design strategies linked to PL upgrades, resource efficiency was found to be the eco-design strategy under which, increased productivity, improved energy efficiency and recyclability have been applied by most of the PLs. LCA an LCC analysis were performed on each PL and TC. In most of the TCs, the bio-based materials reduced the overall Global Warming Potential by approximately 40 % compared to the fossil-based alternative. For the rest of the TCs the GWP was similar as for the reference. High depreciation cost and research labour cost were identified as the two hotspots in cost assessments. Excluding these two cost categories, the analysis indicated that the cost can be comparable to fossil-based alternative materials. The risk and regulation assessments ensured compliance of the TCs with future regulations, focusing on REACH legislation. Furthermore, the results of occupational exposure assessments done under the nanosafety work were used for EHS recommendations for three of the PLs.
After considering several OITB models, the main administrative and operational procedures and the OITB structure were defined. The OITB has been set-up and will operate based on contractual agreements between the partners and the SEP (STAM). A new legal entity was not set-up due for various reasons that were carefully analysed. These points included e.g. changes in the regulatory landscape for the end-of-life of vehicles, and the PPWR, where recycled fossil-based plastics are valued over bioplastics and all packaging should be reusable or recyclable by 2030. After tuning the business plan based on the new projections, the market analysis showed projected revenues for the OITB to only 40% of the primary estimation. A business plans was developed to ensure the OITB's operation and growth up to 2029, with revenues projected to increase significantly. In addition, during the project, a digital platform for the OITB was created to store all relevant information about the services of the OITB available for future customers.
Through communication and dissemination, the project increased the visibility of the OITB. All partners contributed to increase the outreach and awareness of INN-PRESSME through conferences, dissemination activities to promote the OCs and organising clustering events. The most impactful activities include: 25 videos, 27 presentations, 2 policy conferences, 13 newsletters, 11 journalistic articles, 9 scientific articles, a result magazine, and factsheets for the TCs.
The work continued with the two Open Calls, which extended the OITB procedures to a wider array of potential end-users, and markets, diversifying the project's ecosystem and broadening the range of innovative solutions offered. The received proposals were evaluated by external and internal reviewers based on the selection criteria defined in the beginning of the process. 11 of them were determined as the most suitable for the OITB. The selected new TCs not only were the first to test our facilities but also validated that the operational procedures of the OITB work.
As the main outcome of the eco-design strategies linked to PL upgrades, resource efficiency was found to be the eco-design strategy under which, increased productivity, improved energy efficiency and recyclability have been applied by most of the PLs. LCA an LCC analysis were performed on each PL and TC. In most of the TCs, the bio-based materials reduced the overall Global Warming Potential by approximately 40 % compared to the fossil-based alternative. For the rest of the TCs the GWP was similar as for the reference. High depreciation cost and research labour cost were identified as the two hotspots in cost assessments. Excluding these two cost categories, the analysis indicated that the cost can be comparable to fossil-based alternative materials. The risk and regulation assessments ensured compliance of the TCs with future regulations, focusing on REACH legislation. Furthermore, the results of occupational exposure assessments done under the nanosafety work were used for EHS recommendations for three of the PLs.
After considering several OITB models, the main administrative and operational procedures and the OITB structure were defined. The OITB has been set-up and will operate based on contractual agreements between the partners and the SEP (STAM). A new legal entity was not set-up due for various reasons that were carefully analysed. These points included e.g. changes in the regulatory landscape for the end-of-life of vehicles, and the PPWR, where recycled fossil-based plastics are valued over bioplastics and all packaging should be reusable or recyclable by 2030. After tuning the business plan based on the new projections, the market analysis showed projected revenues for the OITB to only 40% of the primary estimation. A business plans was developed to ensure the OITB's operation and growth up to 2029, with revenues projected to increase significantly. In addition, during the project, a digital platform for the OITB was created to store all relevant information about the services of the OITB available for future customers.
Through communication and dissemination, the project increased the visibility of the OITB. All partners contributed to increase the outreach and awareness of INN-PRESSME through conferences, dissemination activities to promote the OCs and organising clustering events. The most impactful activities include: 25 videos, 27 presentations, 2 policy conferences, 13 newsletters, 11 journalistic articles, 9 scientific articles, a result magazine, and factsheets for the TCs.
The OITB will provide companies open access to 16 PLs as well as to advanced characterisation techniques and services. Through the upgrades, most of the PLs achieved at least a 15% improvement in industrial process parameters and a 20% faster verification of materials performance. In addition, the PLs reached 20 % increase in industrial productivity, reliability, environmental performance, durability, and/or life-cycle costs. The project demonstrated environmental impacts, including CO2 savings and sustainable end-of-life options for the TCs. Also, it was shown that the biomaterials reduced the overall GWP in four TCs compared to the fossil-based alternative, with the rest having similar values. The INN-PRESSME OITB is expected to generate a cumulative turnover of approximately €20 million by 2029, with a strategic plan to scale up commercial activities progressively. In addition to the financial and operational results of the analysed TCs, the OITB will generate long-term business opportunities. The infrastructure and services provided by the OITB have not only enabled the validation and scaling of bio-based materials within INN-PRESSME but also represent a continuous revenue stream for STAM, the PL owners, and service providers involved. The project will increase European scientific excellence through the publication of peer-reviewed articles and exploitation of the results in future projects.