Sustainable circular solutions

NEWS May 1st  2024 Formal start of Project BRAVE

Biologisch Recyclebaar Alternatief voor Verpakken met EPS (Biologically Recyclable Alternative to Packaging with EPS )

European and regional contribution for a biologically recyclable alternative to EPS

A biobased and biodegradable alternative to EPS (expanded polystyrene) packaging materials based on starch foam. With a new process technology, companies from Barneveld, Doorn, Ede and Enschede in the Netherlands will start working towards the goal of developing a sustainable alternative for packaging products heavier than 5 kilos. This alternative is recyclable, just like paper, but can also be composted.

Products, such as heating and ventilation equipment, furniture and white and brown goods, are currently packaged with fillers and corner pieces based on expanded polystyrene (EPS). There is an increasing need in the market for alternatives. Not only because legal restrictions are imposed in some parts pf the world,  but also because companies and consumers demand to have a choice . The material to be developed by the  project partners must have comparable properties to EPS with regard to density, resilience, tensile and bending strength, but with a low carbon footprint.

The consortium consists is led by Paperfoam B.V. and consists of the  following five partners: PaperFoam B.V. from Barneveld, Innograaf B.V. from Doorn, Thermoware Particle Foam Machinery B.V from Barneveld, Jadima Fijnmetaalwerking from Ede and Vaventis from Enschede. Together they receive a subsidy of €583,538 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with co-financing from the province of Gelderland and Overijssel. The total investment costs amount to € 1,167,077.

The entrepreneurs have submitted a subsidy application for the project to the European Fund for Regional Development in the East of the Netherlands https://www.efro-oost.eu/nieuws/europese-bijdrage-voor-vier-duurzame-innovaties-in-oost-nederland

The contribution is a subsidy for test and demonstration projects. This subsidy is intended for testing new applications and solutions from SME’s, so that innovations can be brought to the market more quickly. Innovations are important for the competitive position of companies and therefore for the regional economy. EFRO OOST  is a European subsidy program to which the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel also contribute. Helga Witjes, deputy for Economy & Innovation of the province of Gelderland: “For an increasing number of companies in our province, circular working is no longer a future but an everyday practice. They know this is the only way forward. They earn money and create new jobs with circular innovations.”