Clara Bilbao

One year after its launch, the European E-OilÉ project is making good progress, achieving significant scientific milestones and attracting an ever-growing community, thereby consolidating its path towards developing small-format, single-use biodegradable packaging for food and cosmetics.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is coordinating the E-OilÉ project, the aim of which is to develop a sustainable alternative to the billions of small bags and containers made from fossil fuels that are used every year and may end up in the environment. To this end, work is underway to develop biodegradable packaging that is safe and can be scaled up to industrial levels, making it possible to move towards more sustainable consumption models without compromising the quality and functionality of the products.

One year on from its launch, the project is making good progress, with significant scientific advances and promising results.

Against this backdrop, the 15 partners that make up the consortium met in Novara (Italy) to share the key progress and results achieved during the project’s first year and to set out the next steps. This meeting was a further step towards developing safe, sustainable, single-use packaging, that is biodegradable and recyclable

One of the key developments was the definition of the ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD) criteria. ITENE defined and documented the preliminary ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD) criteria for the four use cases, providing the consortium with a common, thorough, evidence-based framework for assessing the materials developed within the project.

On this basis, the first batches of the new biopolyester-based biodegradable biomaterials (from Novamont), enriched with olive oil by-products (MYROLION) and polysaccharide-based compounds (from OIMO), have undergone extensive testing at GAIKER, been digitally replicated, and market solutions are now being explored.

At the same time, OIMO and Novamont have developed the first plant-based bioplastic films, and these have been sent to the Danish Technological Institute to assess their biodegradability. The initial results point to the potential of these materials.

Indeed, the results of these trials are helping to feed into the artificial intelligence model developed by the NORCE research centre. This tool will act as a digital twin capable of modelling and predicting the behaviour of new materials developed as part of the project and those that may be developed in the future as they biodegrade.

Technological progress has also been coupled with a strategy geared towards the future exploitation of the results. In this regard, PNO Innovation has identified the first results with exploitation potential and has defined possible avenues for commercialising the packaging solutions developed by the E-OILÉ project, thereby paving the way for their future market application.

About E-OilÉ

E-OilÉ (sustainable end-of-life routes for single-use monodose packaging for oily products) is a four-year European project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement No. 101177771), which brings together 15 partners from 10 countries with the aim of developing biodegradable, safe, recyclable single-use packaging solutions for applications in the food and cosmetics sectors. The project will focus on four real-world use cases: olive oil, oil-based sauces, body oil and facial serum, with the aim of achieving a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7.

“Biodegradable by Design, Sustainable by Nature”

The network is growing

The E-OilÉ community continues to grow and become more established. The project invites all individuals and organisations interested in innovation and sustainability in packaging to follow its activities, subscribe to its newsletter and join its stakeholder network.

“A year ago, this was nothing more than a plan on paper and a group of people who believed in it. Today, it is about science, data, a community and a project that is making real progress. "I couldn’t be more proud of what this consortium has built together over the past twelve months,” said María José Suárez (GAIKER), the project coordinator.

• More information about the project at: https://eoileproject.eu/
• Follow E-OilÉ on: LinkedIn | Bluesky | X

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101177771.

Funded by the European Union. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority are responsible for them.

The European project will develop innovative electrochemical regeneration technology that will make it possible to replace conventional fossil-fuel-based processes and promote a more sustainable, circular approach to water treatment.

A kick-off meeting was held in Madrid in July for the European REGENIOUS project (REthinking the REGENeration of spent granular activated carbon), which was launched the month before. The project, in which the GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is involved, aims to revolutionise the regeneration of spent granular activated carbon, a key material in industrial and municipal water treatment, by developing an innovative electrochemical regeneration technology to replace conventional thermal regeneration based on fossil fuels.

Over the next 48 months, REGENIOUS will develop the first portable, modular electrochemical regeneration plant of its kind, designed to operate directly on the end-user’s premises and make it possible to regenerate spent activated carbon on site. The technology will be demonstrated at drinking water treatment plants in Spain and wastewater treatment plants in Cyprus, with the aim of validating its performance under real-world operating conditions. Replication activities will also be carried out in Germany and Portugal to encourage their wider implementation across Europe.

The project is being coordinated by ENVIROHEMP and brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 16 European organisations, including companies from the water sector, research centres, universities, technology providers, standardisation bodies and innovation organisations. The consortium is made up of Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia, Eparchiakos Organismos Aftodioikisis Larnakas, Aigües de Barcelona, Canal de Isabel II, Extraco Construccions e Proxectos, ASCA, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the GAIKER Foundation, the Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute, CETAQUA, the Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE), Contactica, C4G, Waterloop Solutions and Water Europe.
Beyond technological innovation, REGENIOUS is looking to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the European water sector by promoting circular resource management and reducing the carbon footprint associated with regenerating activated carbon. The project will also explore new second life applications for spent activated carbon and develop new business models and tools for assessing sustainability to facilitate their future implementation in the market.

REGENIOUS is supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Processes4Planet Partnership by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop more resource-efficient industrial processes, and drive progress towards making European industry more competitive and climate neutral.

GAIKER’s work
GAIKER specialises in developing innovative water treatment solutions from a circular economy perspective, designing the most appropriate strategy for every need.

As part of the REGENIOUS project, GAIKER is playing a key role in characterising, evaluating and validating the electrochemical regeneration of spent activated carbon (GAC/EAC), while also leading one of the work packages. Its main responsibilities include defining the requirements and strategies for regeneration, developing performance indicators for the REGENIOUS system, characterising and benchmarking spent activated carbon, assessing the risks associated with implementing the technology, and helping to validate both the solution developed and the operational support tools in real-world water treatment plants.

This project is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101286562. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Executive Agency for Health and Digital Technology (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

GAIKER carries out specialised tests to assess the environmental risk of various types of products, helping organisations demonstrate their environmental safety and proceed with greater confidence in their development, validation and marketing processes.

We have experience in the assessment of products for use in different environments, including aquatic and land ecosystems. We design and carry out tests adapted to each matrix and use case, providing key information to identify potential environmental impact and support decision-making in terms of safety and compliance.

We work with a wide range of products and materials, such as chemical formulations, materials, mixtures, leachates, water, solids and innovative developments that require rigorous environmental validation before they are brought to market or used in real conditions.

Our services cover ecotoxicity testing in freshwater, marine environments and soil, enabling us to comprehensively assess how products interact with representative organisms from different ecosystems and identify adverse effects on relevant species and environmental functions.

We also carry out biodegradability and environmental performance studies to provide evidence on the persistence or degradation of products in different environments, offering essential data for eco-design strategies, market positioning and regulatory assessment.

These tests enable companies to validate the environmental safety of their products, increase consumer and regulatory body trust and prove compliance with the prevailing legislation in each sector. In this way, we help reduce risks, facilitate responsible innovation and speed up the time-to-market of more sustainable solutions.

Are you looking for a technology partner to assess the environmental risk of your products? Contact us.

The SERVET project will develop a new circular value chain to recover essential and strategic raw materials from complex waste streams.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is participating in the SERVET project (Research on new circular economy processes at the service of strategic sovereignty), which aims to design a new circular, efficient, sustainable and technologically advanced value chain for the selective recovery of critical and strategic raw materials from complex waste streams.

The project will investigate the recovery of different post-consumer and industrial waste streams, including photovoltaic and hybrid panels, printed circuit boards (PCBs), fractions containing industrial metals and other complex solid waste. Based on these streams, solutions will be developed to recover critical raw materials, such as copper, silicon, tantalum and niobium, as well as other high-value metals, such as silver and tin.

The increasing demand for essential raw materials in strategic sectors, such as renewable energy, digitalisation, the automotive sector and the electronics industry poses significant challenges for European industry. Dependence on external resources and the need to secure supply chains make it essential to foster more circular models that enable high-value materials contained in waste to be recovered. SERVET has emerged in this context: a project funded by the CDTI and supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, as part of the ‘Missions 2025’ call for proposals.

The project is led by Tradebe Environmental Services, through its recycling facilities for ELVs and other metals, and involves eight other companies: LENZ, Técnicas Reunidas, Atlantic Copper, Abora, Lurederra, INM, Eurecat and Cenim. SERVET takes a systemic and interdisciplinary approach that combines advanced technologies for the pre-treatment, conditioning and automated separation of materials with innovative extraction and purification processes that are highly selective, efficient and sustainable. It also incorporates on-line analysis and monitoring techniques based on advanced optical technologies, such as RGB computer vision, hyperspectral imaging (HSI), LIBS, NIR and Raman spectroscopy, integrated with artificial intelligence algorithms.

The strategy for this project is rounded off with the reintroduction of recovered materials into new industrial applications with high added value, thereby promoting a comprehensive circular model. Potential applications include the manufacture of new solar panels and functional conductive inks, contributing to more efficient resource management, reduced dependence on imported raw materials and the minimisation of environmental impact.

GAIKER’s work
As a specialist in the development of technologies for the automated identification and separation of materials, GAIKER will collaborate on research into new, advanced strategies for the identification, classification and selective separation of complex waste.

The Technology Centre will develop and apply advanced characterisation and identification technologies based on computer vision (RGB imaging), hyperspectral imaging (HSI), LIBS spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, integrated with artificial intelligence algorithms and smart classification systems. These solutions will enable the detection, characterisation, automated separation and pre-concentration of materials of interest for their subsequent recovery to be optimised.

GAIKER will also investigate selective pre-treatment processes, advanced analytical techniques for the on-line monitoring and characterisation of materials, as well as physical, chemical and thermomechanical methods to produce solar-grade silicon for metal recovery. Finally, it will assess the performance, scalability and technical feasibility of recovering critical raw materials and their subsequent use in new industrial applications.

Project funded by the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities as part of the ‘Missions 2025’ call for proposals.

Article written by Rafael Miguel – Recycling and Circular Economy Market Manager at GAIKER – See original

The publication of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, known as the PPWR, marks a turning point for the entire packaging value chain. This is not merely a new regulatory requirement, but a structural change in the way we design, manufacture, use, reuse and recycle packaging.

The aim of this new regulation is clear: to reduce unnecessary packaging, promote reuse, refilling and recycling, harmonise rules across the European market and contribute to the transition towards a circular and climate-neutral economy. The Regulation introduces sustainability and labelling requirements throughout the entire life cycle of packaging, from its design and composition to its management as waste.

From recycling to eco-design: the new PPWR paradigm
One of the most significant aspects of the PPWR is that it shifts the focus from end-of-life waste management to the design of packaging from the outset. In this new context, it will not be enough for packaging to be technically recyclable in theory. It must be designed so that it can be collected, sorted and recycled on a large scale. Furthermore, the Regulation establishes a system of recyclability standards applicable from 2030 and introduces stricter requirements from 2038.

This change will have direct implications on businesses. Packaging must minimise weight and volume whilst maintaining its functionality, avoid unnecessary components and meet increasingly stringent criteria regarding recyclability, reuse, recycled content and traceability. In the case of plastic packaging, the Regulation sets out minimum content requirements for recycled material derived from post-consumer plastic waste, subject to certain exceptions, and maintains specific requirements for compostable packaging, which must comply with industrial composting standards.

In this context, bioplastics take on a particularly interesting role, but one that is also more demanding. Its contribution to sustainability cannot be based solely on the renewable origin of the raw material. The future competitiveness of these materials will depend on their real performance within the system: their functionality, compatibility with processing methods, recyclability, compostability where applicable, safety in use and integration into existing collection and treatment infrastructures. A bio-based material is not automatically circular; it must be proven to be so both technically and environmentally.

For this reason, the transition driven by the PPWR should not be seen merely as a regulatory challenge, but as an opportunity for innovation. Companies will need to review formulations, redesign multi-layer structures, evaluate single-material alternatives, incorporate recycled or bio-based materials where appropriate, validate functional properties and generate technical evidence to support regulatory compliance. The EU Declaration of Conformity and the associated technical documentation will be key to demonstrating that the packaging complies with the applicable requirements.

GAIKER’s role in the transition towards more circular packaging
This is where GAIKER can play a decisive role. The transition towards more circular packaging requires technical expertise, experimental capabilities and a holistic view of materials, processes, the end product and end-of-life. GAIKER is committed to circular plastics derived from chemical recycling, mechanical recycling or renewable resources, including bioplastics, with strategic applications in sectors such as packaging, the automotive industry, construction, electrical and electronics, textiles and agriculture.

From a practical perspective, companies will need support in several areas: the selection and validation of recycled or bio-based materials, recyclability assessment, physico-chemical characterisation, thermal and mechanical analysis, migration studies, barrier properties, moisture resistance, ageing tests, and analysis using FTIR, DSC, TGA or microscopy, amongst others.

The PPWR will also require closer collaboration between packaging manufacturers, packagers, recyclers, waste management operators, public authorities, distributors and technology centres. Circularity will not be achieved through isolated decisions, but through coordinated value chains capable of designing packaging that is functional for industry, safe for consumers and compatible with existing collection, sorting and recycling systems.

The implementation of the PPWR should not be viewed merely as regulatory pressure, but as an opportunity to anticipate, stand out from the crowd and develop more robust, sustainable and competitive packaging solutions. Companies that start adapting their materials, designs and processes now will be better placed to meet the 2030 requirements and the even stricter demands that will follow.

GAIKER aims to support companies throughout this process: from identifying technical challenges to the experimental validation of new packaging solutions, including the development of circular materials, the assessment of recyclability, the characterisation of performance and the generation of technical evidence to facilitate decision-making.

The circular economy for packaging will not merely be a legal obligation. It will be an opportunity to redesign products, reduce environmental impact, increase resource efficiency and move towards a more innovative, resilient and sustainable industry.

The PPWR is redefining the rules of the game for packaging in Europe. Anticipating is not just about delivering sooner: it is innovating better.

Further information: https://www.gaiker.es/soluciones/envase-y-embalaje/