Eco-friendly Consumer Products – Low-toxicity/zero Pollution Construction Bio-based Materials

A successful proposal will contribute to all Destination ‘Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors’ impacts related to consumers and industry, in particular to development of innovative and sustainable value-chains in the bio-based sectors and of European industrial sustainability, competitiveness and resource independence, including via research on biotechnology and other enabling technologies, as a prerequisite and driver of future solutions for a circular economy and the bioeconomy transitions.

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

• Higher environmental sustainability, including on the climate targets (primarily reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and accessorily increase of carbon removals), and zero pollution demonstrated by LCA approaches of bio-based materials and products for construction applications, allowing their intensified sustainable use, under the New European Bauhaus Initiative^[1] and the Renovation Wave^[2];
• Demonstrated non-toxic and zero-pollution properties of the construction materials, as well as their recyclability and/or reusability, to respond to the higher societal demand and the objectives of the European Green Deal;
• Increased competitiveness of European industry, including SME sector, and involving various actors of bio-based value chains; while ensuring affordable and sustainable end-products for the consumers and society, including via integration of digital solutions;
• Improved innovation potential in regard to biotechnology, and its potential contribution to the sustainable, circular bio-based materials and biochemicals, with safe, environmentally-friendly and functionally performing applications;
• Improved societal innovation and creativity, with inclusive engagement of all societal actors, especially professional bodies, policymakers, designers, architects, consumers and end-users, for the bio-based construction product segments. This is expected to contribute, e.g., by developing recommendations or guidelines, or public engagement/dialogue, to the policy-feedback on innovative construction materials, and to resolving related regulatory bottlenecks.

Bio-based construction materials offer major opportunities to contribute to the climate-neutral and zero-pollution objectives of the European Green Deal, replacing fossil-based alternatives, and so, reducing the environmental footprint, while offering economic benefits to the actors involved. However, care needs to be taken to ensure sustainability of sourcing and production process, while guaranteeing safety and positive user experience. This calls for high level of innovation and creativity, ensuring full inclusiveness of participation for all actors.

Proposals will focus on:

• Identification and upscaling of bio-based materials suitable for the construction sector, understood as bio-based feedstocks, e.g. agro-forestry^[3] residues, fibres, recycled organic materials, industrial by-products etc, obtained especially by higher circularity of available biomass, under the cascading use of biomass principle. However, the selected materials can also be found in other bio-based resources that, due to their specific genetic / physiological / biochemical backgrounds have functional properties, which can be further improved or upgraded by fermentation, biomanufacturing, or biotechnology approaches. Also, the hybrid integration of living organisms into traditional or bio-based construction materials (e.g., plants, algae, fungi) might be considered, if leading to higher quality and improved environmental impact. The range of final construction materials is broad and may cover composites, insulation materials, interior or exterior elements, adhesives, etc., depending on the construction value chain selected.
• Innovating in terms of bio-based production improvements (e.g., additive bio-based manufacturing, nature-based solutions, or composite materials with added functionalities), leading to new construction-oriented consumer applications. This effort should benefit from innovation developed both from the technical angle, but also from social innovation and from inclusive participation of all actors, including development of recommendations for pre-normative or/and regulatory actions, related to new (recyclable/reusable) bio-based construction materials, as appropriate.
• The safety and user experience aspects should be duly considered and included in the developed solutions.
• Communication and dissemination will form an essential part of the projects, especially as related to the sustainability, ‘reconnection with nature’ and inclusiveness aspects.
• Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and other relevant topics.
• International cooperation is encouraged to benefit from exchange of best practices, while taking care of European (industrial) competitiveness.
• SSH aspects should be considered and covered, as well as the contribution from digital solutions.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

[1] COM(2021)573 final “New European Bauhaus Beautiful, Sustainable, Together”. Projects are expected to contribute to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative (https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en) 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.

[2] COM(2020)662 final “A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives”.

[3] Synergies with R&D on traditional bio-based feedstocks such as wood may be sought, e.g., see topic HORIZON-CL6-2024-CLIMATE-01-5: Climate-smart use of wood in the construction sector, or activities under the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) JU.