Departments

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

Bio2PEs is an EU-funded project developing bio-based and biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and polyester from biomass waste to support Europe’s shift toward a circular plastics economy. Traditional plastics create long-lasting pollution, and Bio2PEs aims to tackle this by introducing scalable, sustainable alternatives aligned with the European Circular Economy Action Plan. 

The project will design packaging prototypes in different sizes and assess their full lifecycle, including biodegradability in various European climates. To improve circularity, Bio2PEs integrates innovative features such as self-repairing coatings that extend product lifespan and fluorescence technology that makes products easier to sort and recycle. 

Working closely with other EU initiatives, BIO2PEs also promotes consumer adoption of biodegradable materials through interactive labelling and contributes real-world data to an AI-driven tool that recommends the most sustainable material options.

CONSORTIUM:

Lead partner: TUS - Technological University of the Shannon (Ireland)

Link to Bio2PEs project webpage

Project partners:

Teagasc – Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Ireland); IMGGE - Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering at the University of Belgrade (Serbia); DIGI – Digitouch (France); The University of Bristol (UK); IndBioCat - The Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis group at National Technical University of Athens (Greece); NIC - The National Institute of Chemistry; NIRI – Nonwovens innovation & research institute Limited (UK); ISOTECH Ltd - Environmental Research and Consultancy firm (Cyprus)