The flexible packaging materials’ market is forecast to grow at a three percent rate to 2020 – the main drivers including cost and sustainability – while being dominated mainly by PE and PP. The main drawbacks are that PE and PP are not biodegradable and films are difficult to recycle, not to mention multilayer materials. As an alternative, SHERPACK aims at developing an innovative high barrier, renewable, biodegradable and recyclable flexible paper‐based packaging material, that can be easily converted by heat‐sealing and folding, with improved stiffness and grip, in order to replace materials such as plastics or aluminium foil currently used on the market by an advanced biomaterial. The first market targeted is flexible packaging materials for dry food, evaluated at 1.6 million tons per year and 3.7 billion euros (Europe, 2020). A multidisciplinary and complementary consortium of six partners has been set-up for achieving the objectives, including three RTOs and three industrial groups from five European countries. An advisory group consisting of two major end-users, a retailer and a packaging machine manufacturer is also involved to help define requirements and ensure the relevance of the new material with the value chain. The new material relies on three major innovations that will be developed from TRL 3 up to TRL 5: (i) a wet-lamination process used to add a thin layer of fibre specialty on the cellulosic substrate to provide a superb barrier to contaminants and oxygen; (ii) the formulation of a biodegradable polymer waterborne emulsion and its subsequent coating on the substrate to provide excellent heat sealability and barrier to water vapour; (iii) the specific design and application of a grid to improve the specific stiffness and the grip. The three innovations will then be assembled to deliver two proofs-of-concept. Last but not least, all the developments will be assisted by a Life Cycle Assessment to prove their environmental benefit.

The project aims at the valorisation of side-stream fractions and residues from agro-food production into novel polysaccharides and functional additives. These raw materials have been selected based on the advanced functionalities that provides to the polymeric matrixes. The extracted polysaccharides will be compatibilised with polyesters and polyamides and reinforced with extracted, modified and functionalised additives to obtain engineering bioplastic formulations adapted to current Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) processes. The target of BARBARA project is the development of novel bio-based engineering bioplastic materials to validate in functional prototypes with advanced properties for building and automotive sectors. The main functionalities developed under the BARBARA approach will permit the improvement of mechanical, thermal, aesthetical and well-being properties of novel biobased engineering polymers. Selected demonstrators of direct final parts for the automotive sector and moulds and tools for hybrid manufacturing for advanced building applications. Innovations in FFF will be validated during the project in order to enhance the performance of BARBARA biobased materials through this technology and fulfil the high-requirements of the industrial sectors. BARBARA project will directly contribute to achieve SIRA´s objective in KPI 5 (4 new advanced biobased materials) and KPI 6 (3 validated consumer products through 2 novel value chains for FFF). The BARBARA consortium involves 11 partners (5 RTD, 3 SME and 3 Large Companies) accounting to 1 BIC full member, 1 in process of engaged and 3 associated, in 36-months project with a budget of 2,770,750€.

The overall objective of the SusBind project is to produce and test, in an industrially relevant environment (TRL5), bio-based binders as alternative to formaldehyde based binder currently used in the production of wood-based panel board (abbreviated as wood board). A lot has been done on this subject, but so far a bio-based binder able to compete at industrial scale with incumbent chemicals, does not exist. The reason to believe on the success of this project is backed: on the selection of the partners, which involves actors across the whole supply chain, and their extensive technological background developed during the last years. The SusBind project intends to build on these success factors by: i. Selecting more adequate feedstocks from existing European Bio-refineries; ii. Applying new and greener conversion technologies for the production of binders and intermediates, including novel epoxidizing enzymes (peroxygenases) developed in the project IndOx (FP7-KBBE; www.indoxproject.eu ); iii. Producing and validating these new bio-based binders with leading wood board manufacturers for two product types: P2 Particle Board (PB) and Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and; iv. Involving the world leading brand owner, producer and retailer of mass market furniture. The SusBind resulting binder system will prove better performance in PB and MDF in terms of 50 - 75% reduction of formaldehyde emissions than current fossil- and formaldehyde-based wood boards. The active participation of industry and a consumer brand owner secures post-project scale up into existing plants. On the basis of cost analyses performed, an economically viable and better performing precursor will increase the marketability of bio-based furniture products concerned. The results of SusBind will not only benefit consumer health and help mitigate climate change, but also strengthen the European furniture industry by providing a cost efficient, bio-based alternative to formaldehyde-based binders.