ITENE co-ordinates EU ocean plastics and bio-based project

The project, which runs to 2023, will have a total budget of €10.5m, funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. It will encompass eight different types of end-application, including cutlery and fishing nets, for example, as well as packaging. Options will be demonstrated, validated and upscaled by the 24 project partners. The emphasis will be on durability, recyclability and biodegradability of products.
 
“SEALIVE will have far-reaching impacts, not only reducing pollution on land and in seas, but also offering unexploited opportunities for circular-economy solutions,” said ITENE’s Miriam Gallur.
 
In terms of materials, the project aims to use improved versions of current bio-based formulas while also developing new ones based on aquatic biomass and organic waste. One aim is to gain better understanding of the technical, economic and social barriers slowing the wider adoption of bio-based materials. The project will also build a strong reference framework for future policy-making and investment, said ITENE.