The
Project
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.
Bio2PEs Objective
1 - Develop bio-based and biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and polyester from biomass waste.
2 - Create eco-friendly prototypes for food packaging, textile packaging, agricultural mulch, and crop protection membranes.
3 - Assess environmental, economic, and social impacts across the full lifecycle.
4 - Test biodegradability and ecotoxicity in soil, freshwater, and marine environments across four EU climate zones.
5 - Enhance circularity with self-repairing coatings to extend durability and reuse.
6 - Improve recyclability using fluorescence marker technology.
7 - Promote consumer adoption through interactive labelling.
8 - Share material data with AI tools to optimize performance and biodegradability.
9 - Support the European Circular Economy Action Plan by reducing plastic waste and increasing resource efficiency.
