The EU construction sector consume up to 9.4Mtons of plastic per year of which 92% are thermoplastics, mainly PVC with 54%, while thermoset plastics present superior technical properties that allow them to reach longer lifespan, a key advantage in a sector where material lifespan should reach 50 years. To do so, INDRESMAT, a chemical start-up focused on the development of high performance and sustainable construction products participating in “Redefining Chemistry”, an International Incubation Program in Brightlands Chemelot Campus, an entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on green chemistry, sustainable materials and circular economy, has developed EXTRU PUR. It is a simple, robust, efficient and versatile technology that manufactures simple geometrized products of constant section and indefinite length (2D products) made from thermoset Polyurethane (PUR), enabling a large scale manufacture of high added-value plastics widely used in construction such as profiles, frames, pipes, etc. The incorporation of PUR as structural material in extruded plastics will provide: >50% higher durability, >200%, thermal resistance increase, >100% thermal and acoustic insulation increase and >30% mechanical strength increase. The market entry will be performed with PUR profiles/frames products within the windows market, representing the major market share (28%) of extruded construction plastics with a 3 B€/y of revenue in EU. After market entry, the strategy will be replicated to pipes applications (22%), and later with other similar 2D products where PVC is the dominant material, a low sustainable plastic still questioned by the EU due to different environmental and geopolitical considerations since American and Asian PVC industries dominate over EU plastic industries.

Building market demands high indoor environmental quality but is under the pressure of energy price volatility, European policies, targeting a carbon neutral building stock by 2050, and local building regulations. A drastic carbon footprint reduction on the EU building stock is only possible with: (i) a strong reduction of heating and cooling energy demand and (ii) the limitation of the embodied environmental impacts of building materials. We propose a disruptive facade concept, the ZERo-carbon building enabler Adaptive opaque Facade (ZERAF), to get a huge decrease in the operational energy demand, while reducing the environmental impact of new and existing buildings through novel materials. ZERAF concept enables shifting the opaque building façade systems from being static thermal barriers to thermal modulators. The disruptive configurations of opaque façade technology and the use of novel materials (smart Shape Memory Alloys, and new generation bio-based polyurethanes) enable such a dynamic thermal control. Moreover, ZERAF minimizes the number of primary sources (in terms of volume and diversity) and then of the embodied carbon. ZERAF radically reconceptualizes the adaptive opaque facades concept, taking the opportunity of doing high-risk/low-TRL research in an interdisciplinary environment to bring cutting edge novelties from aerospace, biomedicine, nanomaterials, chemistry and IOT to building sector. The objective is to scientifically prove that ZERAF concept can control all heat transfer mechanisms in opaque building façades to a significant level. Prototypes will be manufactured for the first time and their thermal behaviour will be characterized in a dedicated laboratory coupling a calorimeter and a continuous sun simulator. To prove that used materials, fabrication processes and assembly methods do not jeopardize the carbon footprint reduction, most relevant sustainability parameters will be quantified through a building life cycle method.

The construction sector is the second largest industrial ecosystem in the EU in economic terms, generating 11,5% of the EU Gross Value Added in 2023. However, while creating economic value, the highly polluting materials derived from petroleum also contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for up to 37% of global operational energy and process-related CO2 emissions. This represents a serious challenge and calls for an urgent transition towards a circular economy. Despite a change taking place in the consumption and production of materials, the sector is facing limits in terms of price, efficiency of materials and social acceptability. The HIBISCUS project aims to revolutionize the building envelope sector by replacing fossil based materials with innovative bio-based alternatives to enhance sustainability, economic viability, and regulatory compliance while reducing the industry's carbon footprint. Coordinated by SOPREMA and 11 partners across Europe, the project uses a thorough methodology to provide new biobased materials for the building envelope thanks to the conversion of several feedstock sources. Partners will demonstrate at pilot scale the feasibility of scaling-up biobased materials while meeting the market standards and the industry’s needs. The project expects to create five bio-based construction materials - (2) waterproofing, (2) insulation and (1) carpentry solutions - with an average of 80% bio-based components and a 25% improved environmental profile. Within five years post-project, HIBISCUS aims to ensure that all materials meet CE-marking standards and attain a 10% market share for bio-based materials. Ultimately, HIBISCUS seeks to consolidate the EU position at the forefront of sustainable construction practices, promoting circular economy principles and supporting more resilient buildings through interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Plastic waste outlive us on this planet as they take centuries to break down. Endocrine disruption, land, air and water pollution are only some of the adverse effects of plastic waste on public and environmental health. Still, 70% of plastic waste collected in Europe is landfilled or incinerated. The overall objective of SURPASS project is to lead by example the transition towards more Safe, Sustainable and Recyclable by Design (SSRbD) polymeric materials. The SURPASS consortium of 14 partners consisting of research and technology organizations and industries will: 1. Develop SSRbD alternatives with no potentially hazardous additives through industrially relevant case-studies (TRL3-5) targeting the three sectors representing 70% of the European plastic demand: - Building: bio-sourced polyurethane resins with enhanced vitrimer properties to replace insulating PVC for window frames (? 40% C-Footprint reduction) - Transport: lightweight, therefore less energy-consuming epoxy-vitrimer (? 30% C-Footprint reduction), as alternative to metal for the train structure, anticipating emerging use of non-recyclable composites. - Packaging: MultiNanoLayered films involving no compatibilizers to replace currently non-recyclable multi-layers films (? 60% C-Footprint reduction). 2. Optimize reprocessing technologies adapted to the new SSRbD systems to support achievement of ambitious recyclability targets. 3. Develop a scoring-based assessment that will guide material designers, formulators and recyclers to design SSRbD polymeric materials, operating over the plastic?s entire life cycle, including hazard, health, environmental and economic assessment. 4. Merge all data and relevant methodologies in a digital infrastructure, offering an open-access user-friendly interface for innovators. SURPASS will in particular address its results to SMEs, representing more than 99% of enterprises, and therefore has an outstanding potential to contribute to the transition towards green economy.

The built environment and related construction processes are together responsible for up to half of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. The circular principles can contribute in important ways to achieving the 2050 carbon neutrality target in addition to the zero emissions 2030 target. INBUILT proposes and develops (1) a set of innovative design, retrofit and construction techniques for both existing and new buildings based on the use and/or reuse of locally sourced bio- and geo-materials along with reused and recycled components coupled with (2) a digital platform, as a multi-objective decision-support tool, for the optimisation of the integration such materials in buildings. This can build an integrated strategy in which sustainability and digitalization are embedded into the construction sector. This set of products includes Larged-sized rammed earth blocks, recycled fired and non-fired bricks (with/without bio-sourced insulation), hybrid straw-clay boards, recycled concrete blocks, prefabricated waste wood external and internal wall elements, smart windows with recycled glass and bio-PUR frames, bio-based prefabricated curtain walls, recycled waste paper and textile fibre insulation mats, bio-based recycled insulation sheet panels/infill, and second life PV panels. These solution techniques, already validated at the lab scale and designed following circularity principles, will be up-scaled, demonstrated and tested in real buildings and optimised using the digital platform in a solid life-cycle-based (and social LCA) perspective. A multidisciplinary consortium will support these objectives. Outcomes will positively impact i) European competitiveness of the construction sector in the field of “green” construction technologies ii) decarbonisation of the building stock, iii) increased digitalisation, iv) raise resilience thanks to circular economy, resource efficiency, eco-design and digitization of the INBUILT innovative systems.