Projects
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Barbara Vad Andersen & Chanette Bach H Frederiksen
Global food systems face mounting challenges from climate change, resource scarcity, and fragile supply chains. Gas precision
fermentation, a biotechnology where engineered microorganisms convert gases such as CO₂ and H₂ into nutrients, offers a transformative pathway to sustainable, resilient nutrition. AIR2FOOD will establish Europe’s first innovation hub for gas precision fermentation, uniting academia, pioneering companies, investors, regulators, and civil society into a coherent ecosystem. The project advances three demonstrators to TRL6, producing β-lactoglobulin (whey protein), β-alanine (nutraceutical), casein (milk protein), and β-palmitate (human milk fat) directly from CO₂ and renewable energy. These demonstrators not only deliver success stories to build investor confidence but also act as sector proxies, covering diverse product classes, fermentation strategies, and microorganisms, and offering scalable, climate-positive alternatives to conventional proteins and lipids. AIR2FOOD integrates biotechnology advances with techno-economic and life-cycle assessments, green business models, investment roadmaps, and regulatory foresight to ensure outcomes are technically robust, economically viable, and socially acceptable. To accelerate adoption, it develops shared pilot infrastructures, an AI-enabled knowledge base, a browser-based economic and environmental assessment platform, and a regulatory sandbox - reducing barriers for start-ups and SMEs while informing policy. Stakeholder engagement spanning food companies, retailers, NGOs, chefs, farmers, and regional innovation valleys will foster trust, inclusivity, and acceptance. Embedding sustainability, legitimacy, and scalability from the outset, AIR2FOOD will position Europe as a leader in gas precision fermentation. In the long term, it will deliver safe, climate-positive food solutions that reduce import reliance, land and water use, and strengthen sovereignty, competitiveness, and climate neutrality.
Description
01/09-2026 → 31/08-2029
Niki Alexi , Konstantina Sfyra & Geraldine N Vasquez Pergolesi
Scaling the First Industrial Flagship for 100% Paper-Based Bubble Wrap Towards a Plastic-Free Europe.
Papier leads an ambitious CBE JU flagship initiative to scale up its existing PapairWrap—the world’s first 100% paper-based, designed for compostability alternative to plastic bubble wrap, towards full industrial adoption. The Project (BIOWRAP) will look to expand this concept and industrialize the world's first sustainable paper-based bubble wrap. The project will establish a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) TRL 8 production facility and integrate innovations in fibre sourcing, paper formulation, coatings, and machinery to meet diverse industry needs. The consortium unites leaders across the value chain, paper manufacturers, machinery builders, coating specialists, recyclers, LCA experts, universities, and major brand end-users, ensuring technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and market pull. This innovation directly addresses EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation goals, enabling a scalable, circular solution to replace millions of square meters of plastic packaging, reduce marine and landfill pollution, and strengthen Europe’s sustainable manufacturing competitiveness.
AU-FOOD is leading the Product Development, End-User Validation & Market Engagement work package, leveraging market research, consumer inputs, expert co-creation and aligning those to sensory insights to deliver packaging designs that promote sustainable consumption and disposal.
Description
01/05-2026 → 30/04-2031
The food industry lacks a standardized and comprehensive sustainability label that integrates biodiversity, soil health, toxicity, benefits of sustainable practices, circularity, and nutritional indicators. Existing methodologies, such as LCA-PEF, do not fully capture the broader sustainability impacts of food production, leading to greenwashing risks, consumer confusion, and limited corporate accountability. The wider scope of the Enviromental Food Label project is increasing sustainable food consumption and production by raising consumer awareness and improving food production practices to make them more sustainable, healthy and resilient by
1. Filling the gaps in LCA-based and PEF-friendly labelling through supporting the development of a more comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts of food
2. Support adoption of a unique standardised environmental label at European level
Description
01/09-2025 → 30/08-2027
