The main objective of the ESCIB project is to support the sustainability of the bio-based economy in Europe. To achieve this, ESCIB will develop assessment methodologies and thus contribute to the standardisation of such methodologies. The aim is to develop a comprehensive, robust and fully operational methodology to assess the sustainability of bio-based systems at various technology-readiness levels (TRLs). This methodology is based on a holistic life-cycle approach to evaluate the environmental impacts and circularity along bio-based value chains. Potential socio-economic trade-offs will be addressed and included in the methodology. ESCIB’s integrated way of analysing environmental and circularity impacts along bio-based value chains is also fully in line with the ambition of the European Green Deal (EGD) and the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP). With the involvement of five innovative industry partners in the consortium, which produce bio-based products in different sectors, ESCIB will ensure high applicability of the method which can be used by certification organisations to label and certify products for the benefit of consumers and society. Finally, the results will give orientations for research and innovation programmes in the bio-based sectors.

According to today’s practice, wood waste is roughly classified into three or four classes, depending on the country. The most polluted grade, often referred to as grade C or AIII/AIV, consists of preservative-treated wood, i.e. wood that has been impregnated with chemicals (pesticides, biocides and fungicides) to enhance its bio-resistance. Grade C or AIII/AIV is not currently recycled. The increased use of wood as encouraged by initiatives like the New European Bauhaus is likely to require additional volumes of preservative-treated wood. Even though such treatments extend the service life of wood products, they will still eventually become waste and must be dealt with. Wood preservation compounds pose a significant threat to not only the environment but also to human health, and therefore it is needed to develop efficient remediation technologies. At the same time, current recycling processes are greatly complicated by the presence of pollutants (chemical treatment products, heavy metals), which calls for further research on cleaning methods. As grade C comprises of several types of wood types and products, along with different levels of contamination, this poses a complex problem that needs action from both the circular economy and non-toxic environment fields. The development of an automated on-line characterization system to distinguish chemically contaminated wood waste has become a high priority. Gaps in existing regulations should be considered as may not fully support the use of upcycled wood materials from such waste streams. IN2WOOD proposes a multi-dimensional cascade approach for highly polluted post-consumer wood waste via a series of seven Pilot Validation Trials (PVTs) with aim to reduce the demand for virgin materials, reduce unsustainable options such as landfilling or incineration, and support the transition towards a circular economy by developing new value-added products from clean secondary materials.

CISUFLO aims to set up a systemic framework for circular and sustainable floor coverings (carpets, resilient floor coverings and laminates) and minimise the sector’s total environmental impact. Several challenges exist within flooring to make the transition to a circular economy: (i) complex value chain, varying from country to country; (ii) link to various sectors (construction & building, plastics, textiles & wood); (iii) products cover various raw materials, plus numerous additives; (iv) product lifetimes range from over 20 years (commercial flooring) to 3-4 days (event carpet). CISUFLO provides systemic innovations at the technical, information and socio-economic level and performs 6 pilots to demonstrate their feasibility and value (future flooring, sorting, separation, laminate, vinyl and textile flooring recycling). The basis for circularity is realising circular material streams. Therefore, we focus on the main flooring material streams: wood (laminates), PA (carpets) and PVC (resilient). We aim to realise circularisation via innovations that deliver value along the chain: (i) manufacturing flooring that is easier to remove, re-use, repair & recycle, as a competitive advantage to the manufacturer, and beneficial to several players along the value chain; (ii) integrated product information system enables sorting, but also offers extra functionalities for installation, cleaning and maintenance, and sustainability info for customer at purchasing phase. To engage a broader range of stakeholders and ensure uptake beyond the project we have established a Transition Support Group (TSG) with over 30 members covering technology providers, retailers and collectors. Assuming our impact reaches 30% of the market, CISUFLO will help to shift a turnover of ca. 5 billion to the circular economy, which will significantly help to secure ca 12.000 jobs in the sector and create additionally ca 2500 jobs in collection and recycling.

CIRCULAR FOAM aims at the demonstration of a territorial cross-sectorial systemic solution for the circularity of high performance plastics from diverse applications on the example of rigid polyurethane foams used as insulation in refrigerators and in construction. The waste streams will be upcycled chemically, which means that they will be valorised to become new virgin-equivalent feedstock for the chemical industry to produce new high performance plastics. In this way, it will become possible to replace limited fossil-based resources by the renewable waste-based ones, thus not only reducing waste, but also becoming more sustainable and making a step forward to climate neutrality. The project and the demonstration are targeting a concrete implementation of the solution in question in the selected regions after the project and developing a blueprint for both the geographical transferability to other regions and for the technological extension of the circularity principle to a number of further waste materials from further applications. We consider here two carefully selected regions: NRW/Germany, Silesia/PL and Greater Amstedam Region. The consortium is composed of all actors required to close the circular value chain (process industries, manufacturing, waste management, technology providers, incl. also research partners, logistics, social scientists and economist working with with public sector and citizens. After practical implementation and replication in EU of the systemic solution, following reductions will have been attained by 2040: 586.000 tons per year less waste, 18,6 mln. tons less CO2 emission; 118 mln EUR less cost for incineration for the PU producers. The system will signifficantly contribute to resilience in regions.