PROSPER project on bio-based plastics coordinated by University of Ghent secures 7.5M€ in CBE funding update

The PROSPER consortium project has recently secured funding from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). PROSPER aims to promote the recycling and sorting of bio-based plastics as part of the initiatives to boost a circular economy. As a result of successful collaboration with Spinverse, the project application secured the funding of 7.5M€ and received maximum scores in the evaluation process.

Promising market for bio-based plastics

Many people consider bio-based plastics as a green alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics. These plastics can offer environmental benefits, such as being made from renewable sources and sometimes being able to break down naturally. They also have a lot of promise for recycling, especially by using chemical methods to break them down into smaller units. However, before bio-based plastics can be recycled, they need to be sorted out and separated from other packaging materials.

Professor Steven De Meester from Ghent University says “The ‘Bio’ argument is not sufficient as sustainability asset for bioplastics. They should also be circular, without disturbing existing recycling chains, to allow increased market penetration. In PROSPER we will develop process chains and business models to ensure that bioplastics are effectively sorted and afterwards recycled in a closed loop and in an economically competitive way.”

The 4-year PROSPER project, standing for “Promoting and Supporting Practices for Eco Recycling,” targets the effective sorting and recycling of bio-based plastics to foster a circular economy. The project with 18 partners from 6 countries is coordinated by University of Ghent. PROSPER is the first CBE-funded project coordinated by this prestigious Belgian university.

Spinverse joined the project planning and funding application work for PROSPER

Nathan de Geyter works as Business Developer End-of-Waste at University of Ghent. He is engaged in several publicly funded projects and sometimes an extra pair of hands may be needed during the most intense project phases. Reflecting on the decision to engage with Spinverse, Nathan says that he first heard about Spinverse’s services and experience on the CBE JU funding programme through a partner university who had collaborated with Spinverse with good results.

Spinverse’s role in the project was not limited to funding application preparation. Spinverse experts, with Project Manager Karan Menon as the main contact, also helped with the ideation, provided subject matter expertise, identified suitable partners, and implemented effective project management practises, all resulting to the success of the project application. Spinverse also helped to assemble a strong consortium, including the crucial participation of waste management companies.

Nathan de Geyter worked with the Spinverse team during the hectic funding application process and was appreciative of the high quality, specialised roles and prior expertise on the CBE funding instrument that the Spinverse experts delivered.

He sums up: “Spinverse played a key role in ensuring a high overall quality and perfect fit of the project proposal to exactly meet the criteria of this CBE funding call. In addition, our fruitful and successful collaboration resulted in maximum scores of 15/15 in the evaluation process.”

PROSPER project consortium consists of bio-based plastic producers, a major brand owner, a supplier of AI-sorting technology, four waste management companies, a municipality, and three research organisations and universities.