Circular Design of Bio-based Processes and Products

Successful proposals will enable the bio-based industries in the Union, including SMEs, to contribute to the enhancement of European industrial sustainability, competitiveness and resource independence and to the deployment of innovative and sustainable value-chains in the bio-based sectors as a prerequisite and driver of future solutions for a circular economy and the bioeconomy transitions. Projects results will contribute to deliver bio-based solutions with reduced environmental impacts on soil, water, and air quality, biodiversity and climate, in line with the EGD objectives, the EU circular economy and the EU zero pollution action plans, the bioeconomy strategy and the communication on sustainable carbon cycles.

Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Circular design of bio-based processes and products: increasing resources and energy efficiency of bio-based technologies, decreasing their environmental impacts on soil, water, and air quality, biodiversity and climate, improving durability and suitability of bio-based products to be safely re-used and re-manufactured, allowing for high-quality recycling, increasing the safe recycled content in new products;
• Product information systems enabling the circularity, safety and environmental sustainability of the bio-based manufacturing sectors and of the use of products at consumers’ level.

The bio-based processes and products within the scope of this topic do not include food, feed, biofuels, bioenergy and cultural and recreation sectors. The establishment of safe, resilient, competitive and equitable production and consumption systems with reduced environmental impacts on soil, water, and air quality, biodiversity and climate, is part of the objectives of the EU circular economy.

To improve the capacity of the industrial bio-based sectors within the scope of the topic, especially the manufacturing sectors, to contributing to that objective, proposals should:

• Develop optimized design of bio-based processes and bio-based products to improve their circularity, taking into account the opportunity to re-use recycled materials in the local market. This could be achieved through increasing resources and energy efficiency of processes, improving high-quality recycling technologies, increasing the durability of products and their suitability to be safely re-used and re-manufactured, improved products end-of-life options, increasing the safe recycled content in new products, etc.;
• Assess the safety, environmental sustainability and climate neutrality of circular bio-based processes and products along their value chains, including of the biological feedstock from land and sea used in the production processes. The environmental impacts of processes and products on soil, water, and air quality, biodiversity and climate should be based on existing and validated assessment methods, also developed and improved in past and ongoing R&I projects^[1]. In particular, the climate neutrality should be assessed based both on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and on the increase of carbon removals and should include an assessment of the energy efficiency improvement;
• Include the assessment of economic and social aspects of the improved production and consumption bio-based systems in terms of increased economic value along the whole value chains, circular patterns of products involving consumers, i.e., durability, reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling patterns, improved economic value of recycled materials, job opportunities, etc.;
• Develop product information systems demonstrating the safe and sustainable use of biological resources and the resource efficiency along value chains, from the production to the extended circular product lifetimes and appropriate disposal. Transparent information should aim at improving the societal acceptance of bio-based innovation and at supporting consumers and customers in making responsible and informed choices.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and in line with the EU strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, international cooperation is encouraged. Projects are expected to contribute to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative by interacting with the NEB Community, NEB Lab and other relevant actions of the NEB initiative through sharing information, best practice, and, where relevant, results.

Where relevant, proposals should seek links with and capitalise on the results of past and ongoing EU funded projects, including under the Circular Bio-based Europe JU, the Processes 4 Planet partnership and other European partnerships of Horizon Europe.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

[1]See, e.g. the project STAR-ProBIO “Sustainability Transition Assessment and Research of Bio-based Products” (H2020 Call 2016 BB-01-2016 Sustainability schemes for the bio-based economy) and the projects developed under the topics HORIZON-CL6-2021-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-05: Environmental sustainability criteria for biological resources production and trade in bio-based systems: impacts and trade-offs and HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-4: Environmental sustainability and circularity criteria for industrial bio-based systems.