Since 2008, European Waste Framework Directive establishes End-of-Life Tyres (ELTs) mandatory managing. In Europe, more than 3 million ELTs tonnes are generated every year. Regarding material recovery, primary recycling treatments produce ELTs granulated rubbers. Current market R&D efforts are focused on adapt downcycling applications to these granulated rubbers, featuring an open-loop recycling, since it doesn´t recover rubber to be introduced as raw material in rubber industry. Hence, not exploiting the great potential of ELTs rubbers, leading to a non-resource efficient and less European competitiveness. VALUE-RUBBER proposes a game-changing idea, betting for the high risk innovation of fully recovering rubber from ELTs to be used as a real substitute of virgin rubbers. Consortium partners are working together in order to assure a successful development and further industrial stage of DevulCore, an innovative recycling technology of rubber from ELTs which achieves the complete rubber devulcanization. The obtained product is a recycled rubber, Value-Rubber, with a maximized potential to be used as a full substitute of virgin rubbers in conventional manufacturing processes. DevulCore technology is already demonstrated in relevant environment obtaining high quality products. The consortium business vision includes the commercialization of the DevulCore technology and the Value-Rubber products as well as the exploitation of the 1st DevulCore Plant. Our market-driven innovation will contribute to the EU circular economy and EU raw materials challenge, while it will both create a new market for ELT recyclers and fulfill demands of EU rubber goods manufacturers. It is expected an important growth for consortium companies, obtaining a total turnover above €178.24 M, a total profit of €41.56 M and a ROI of 878% in 2022-2025 period. Some expected benefits are: Savings for European end-users of €965.62 M, creation of 1,802 new jobs and 4.64 Mtonnes of CO2 savings.

The expected global population growth to 9.1 billion people in 2050 and the significant change of global dietary patterns require increasing world-wide food production by about 60%. The protein supply for feed and food is most critical, and requires a transition in protein sources. Edible insects can upgrade low-grade side streams of food production into high-quality protein, amino acids and vitamins in a very efficient way. Insects are thus considered to be the “missing link” in the food system of a circular and sustainable economy. Insects and insect-derived products have entered the European market since first being acknowledged as a valuable protein source for feed and food production at around 2010. However, scaling up the insect value chain in Europe is progressing at a relative slow pace. The aim of this project is to contribute to novel protein provision for feed and food in Europe by overcoming the remaining barriers for increasing the economic viability of the insect value chain and opening markets by combining forces in a comprehensive multi-actor consortium. The overall project objective is to test, pilot and demonstrate recently developed technologies, products and processes, to realise a shift up to Technology Readiness Level 6 or higher. The project focuses on these crucial activities, as well as living labs and workshops with stakeholders in the insect protein supply chain for feed and food. These actions provide the necessary knowledge and data for actors in the insect value chain to decrease the cost price of insect products, process insects more efficiently and market insect protein applications in animal feed and regular human diets that are safe and sustainable. This will pave the way for further upscaling and commercialisation of the European insect sector, resulting in a replacement of animal protein by insect protein of 10% in animal feed and of 20% in human diets, and a thousand fold increase in both production volumes and jobs in 2025.