ALIGNED PROJECT
Delivering a modelling framework to assess and optimise the environmental and socioeconomic performance of bio-based industries.
Delivering a modelling framework to assess and optimise the environmental and socioeconomic performance of bio-based industries.
To gain further insights into the five bio-based sectors within the ALIGNED project (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, and biochemicals), sector consultations will be held. These consultations give representatives from these five sectors the opportunity to help shape the ALIGNED project and help us give fitting recommendations about environmental assessments, more specifically on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), that apply to the whole sector.
For each of the five sectors, we will have two consultation rounds. The first consultation will be held near the start of our project to gather information from the sector, and one near the end of the project to give the sector the opportunity to comment and value our results.
This consultation aims at gaining a further understanding of the textile sector. This will give us an impression of what is important and what the sector thinks about certain topics related to environmental sustainability and the ways it can be measured and proven. In the end, this consultation will help us shape the ALIGNED project and give fitting recommendations about environmental assessments, more specifically on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), that apply to the whole textile sector.
We will have two consultations, one near the start of our project to gather information from the sector, and one near the end of the project to give the sector the opportunity to comment on and evaluate our results.
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/ecosystex/
With 17 EU-funded member projects focusing on textile sustainability, ECOSYSTEX, the European Community of Practice for a Sustainable Textile Ecosystem, has been formally launched in early 2023, with a mission to accelerate collaboration in the textile sustainability and circularity field. Facilitated by the Textile ETP, and with support from the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA), the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and the Circular-Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking, this new network of textile circularity projects aims to create a long-term community of practice, ensuring collaboration across project consortia and lasting beyond the individual projects’ durations.
It is the competence centre for the textiles and the plastic converting industry, located in the heart of the Belgian textile industry with strong links to most textile and plastic converting companies and the rest of the supply chain including the recycling industry. R&D, testing/measuring and consulting are the 3 main activity areas. The research focus of CENT is on applied research, funded by private contract as well as national and international agencies. CENT offers many tools supporting the industry, including open innovation platforms for prototyping and product development. CENT offers a complete range of standardized testing, it is a notified body for protective clothing and construction materials and can deliver CE marking, as well as other product certifications. CENT is also involved in standardization committees and offers technological advice and training to companies in Belgium or abroad.
CALIMERO will analyse bio-based sectors industrial case studies provided by partners (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp & paper and biochemicals) to find feasible solutions to improve their environmental performance while considering also economic and social aspects.
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101032664
Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the LIGFLOW project plans to develop an industry-compatible lignin depolymerisation process that should result in more profitable and sustainable production routes for biomass-derived aromatics.
The RUSTICA projects provides a technical solution to convert organic residues from the fruit and vegetable sector into novel bio-based fertiliser products of high quality that address the needs of modern (organic) agriculture. The project’s ambition goes beyond the simple recovery of nutrients, and also includes the developments of economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternatives to mineral fertilisers with the same or improved agronomic value.
https://www.greener-h2020.eu/en/normal/home
GREENER project proposes the development of green, sustainable, efficient, and low-cost solutions for soil/sediment and water bioremediation, by integrating several remediation strategies with innovative bio-electrochemical technologies.
The EU-funded MODEL2BIO project aims to develop a decision-support system tool to determine the agri-food industry’s residual streams composition and to formulate recommendations on how to use them more efficiently. The tool will be based on the interconnection of a simulation module, an optimisation algorithm and a life cycle analysis module. The project’s recommendations will be formulated under a holistic perspective (technical, economic, environmental and social).
In the EU-funded LEX4BIO project, replacing mineral fertilisers with BBFs is evaluated by mapping nutrient-rich side-streams, estimating their nutrient contents, and providing necessary technologies for producing safe BBFs. By optimising the use of fertilisers according to crop requirements, their environmental impact can be minimised and agriculture profitability improved. The project will provide recommendations for decreasing the dependency on imported fertilisers, closing the nutrient cycles, and improving the sustainability of European farming systems.
The EU-funded ProCEedS project will identify best practices for the implementation of the circular economy in the food supply chain. It will offer solutions, models and methods to stakeholders, including small production, big retailers and co-operatives. The results will assist policymakers and businesses. It has a interdisciplinary approach including LCA, Regional Development, Political Economy & Ecology and Supply Chain Management.
Utexbel is a Belgian integrated textile company from fibre to fabric. It has seven production sites in Belgium: three spinning mills (Ring, Open-End and Worsted), three weaving mills, one package dyeing mill and one piece dyeing and finishing mill. Its main products are yarns and fabrics for workwear, protective wear, fashion, and technical applications. Having control on the textile processing chain from fiber to fabric, UTEX can create and produce yarns and fabrics for circular products, based on mechanically and chemically recycled fibers and is certified Oekotex STeP level 3 for its efforts on sustainable textile production.
It is a young, dynamic, and forward-thinking Belgian university with historic roots and an ambition to contribute positively to society. The Dep. of Engineering Management lies within the Faculty of Business and Economics, that received international accreditations from AACSB and EFMD to testify to the high quality of its education and research.The research team includes about 35 researchers and has an excellent track-record with over 180 WoS peer-reviewed publications, and collaborations with academic, industrial, and governmental partners in national and international projects (such as Horizon 2020 TransformAr (lead partner) and Interreg Nature Smart Cities) and well received educational trainings on master and PhD level.
https://sustainableinnovations.eu/
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS is an R&D and business consultancy company. The team is formed by highly qualified and multi-cultural-disciplined engineers, environmentalist, communication experts and business specialists focused on the market uptake of innovations with more than 10 years of experience in private and public European research collaborative projects. The main goal of SIE is to fill the gap between research activities and market implementation through the legal and the economic point of view, bringing forward sustainable ideas into profitable and sustainable friendly business models. The core competencies offered by SIE are structured in three main pillars which bridge the gap between ideas to market: innovation management, market uptake of innovative solutions and capacity building.
It is the French division of Oleon NV, a leading international oleo-chemical company with plants in Europe (FR, BE, DE) and Asia (ML), and a world-wide commercial presence. The company believes in the use of renewable natural resources and specializes in the conversion of natural fats and oils in a wide range of oleochemical products. These products are divided in two business lines and six divisions. Base oleo-chemical products from OLEON range from fatty acids glycerine to oleo-chemical derivatives and specialty chemicals. These find multiple applications from cosmetics to detergents and fabric softeners, and food additives.
It is the mother company of the Oleon group: it is on one hand a holding company, being the (sole) shareholder of all other Oleon entities, but also a production unit managing two operational plants in Belgium (Ertvelde & Evergem). OLEON NV aims at developing new sustainable oleochemicals for a wide range of applications, from basic building blocks to specialties. Within the frame of ALIGNED, OLEON will provide support on the R&D side, as well as on the LCA of oleochemicals while OLEON NV will instead provide support concerning the process and the production side, providing data related to the process, but also considering the implementation of potential improvements. Oleon NV is Oleon SAS affiliated entity in this project.
As the largest University in Norway in engineering and technology, its Industrial Ecology Program (IndEcol) is leading research on environmental impact assessment, developing established models for advanced environmental sustainability analysis of technology systems.
https://www.insa-toulouse.fr/en/index.html
Multidisciplinary institute of education, research and technology transfer in biotechnology and processes for agro-industry, pharmacology, and the environment. The research activities in biotechnology and environmentally-efficient processes are carried out by the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), a leading biotechnology research unit in France which couples top quality research teams in microbiology and protein engineering/bio-catalysis with process engineering and environmental assessment teams, to enable a ‘gene to sustainable process’ integrative approach.
https://www.kingspan.com/gb/en/
Funded in 1965, KING has grown to be the global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes. Its mission is to accelerate a net zero emissions future with the wellbeing of people and planet at its heart. KING enables high-performance buildings that can save more energy, carbon and water while enhancing the safety & wellbeing of people in buildings, enabling the circular economy, and always delivering more performance and value. KING vision is challenging building industry traditions with innovation in advanced materials and digital technologies. Planet Passionate is Kingspan’s ambitious 10-year global sustainability programme that aims to impact on three big global challenges: climate change, circularity, and protection of our natural world. Developments, like using bio-based raw materials, to improve the environmental footprint of manufacturing KING products are relying on LCA studies.
Innovative and professional company in the field of timber products. Founded in 1983, is now leading as an early adaptor with wood protection and sustainable development. Within several national and international innovation networks the company has managed to make a significant contribution to the development of new circular technologies for wood protection and wood modification and to drive innovation and cooperation within the timber industry. FOR employs 120 people spread over three different sections: timber-trade and production, timber-constructions and playgrounds and holds a stock of over 15.000m3 with a wide range of timber species at a terrain of 60.000 m2. FOR is specialized in wood treatment from creosote treatment to regular pressure treatment, wood acetylation and thermal modification. FOR has pilot scale impregnation equipment, drying and curing installations and ultrasonic testing equipment.
https://www.bloombiorenewables.com/
Swiss chemical company developing technologies for the efficient and selective conversion of biomass to sustainable petroleum-alternatives. Bloom builds on a state-of-the-art understanding of biomass chemistry to design disruptive extraction methods to use second generation feedstocks more efficiently and accessing new high-value bio-based markets. To this purpose, Bloom has developed a comprehensive market study and identified high value applications where bio-based ingredients are highly demanded. BLOOM will start acting as a technology provider by 2027 with a licensing model.
High-tech SME, employing a team of skilled bioeconomy and bioenergy consultants, researchers, technology, and business developers. The firm has three decades of experience operating in the bioeconomy, developing, and promoting technology and processes to produce bioenergy, biofuels, and bio-based products, combining academic intelligence with practical field experience. BTG has structured its know-how services in two business units, Consultancy and Technology, and its expertise covers: technical and market opportunities and sustainability of bio-based products, establishment and coordination of networks, clusters, and Communities of Practice. BTG develops also training, capacity building, and communication materials for various target groups, and in a range of formats.
Leading Danish university with a strong cross-disciplinary and problem-based approach to research. AAU staff as together produced more than 200 LCA scientific publications in international journals and is currently involved in several research and innovation projects on technology assessment, prospective sustainability assessment of emerging technologies, in EU and the Nordic area, for a budget of about 50M euro. These and previous projects deliver methodological as well as applied studies of LCA of biomass refinery systems, technologies for upgrading lignocellulosic feedstock, production, and upscaling of blue feedstock (macro- and micro-algae).