The E-OilÉ project, which is funded under the Horizon Europe programme, has been launched to develop pioneering single-dose packaging solutions that are safe, sustainable and biodegradable for fatty products in the food and cosmetics sectors.
The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is leading the E-OilÉ project, which is funded under the Horizon Europe programme and began last June, with the aim of tackling one of the most persistent environmental challenges today: plastic packaging waste. This research involves 15 partners from across Europe working to develop biodegradable, functional packaging specifically designed for fatty products such as olive oil, sauces, body oils and cosmetic serums.
Single-dose packaging is in high demand by consumers as it is safer and more hygienic, but it poses significant challenges in terms of conventional end-of-life (EOL) recycling systems, due to its small size, the complexity of the materials used and the risk of contamination of other recycled plastic streams. E-OilÉ is looking to provide innovative solutions by developing biodegradable alternatives that comply with existing standards and guidelines, ensuring that they do not compromise biodegradability or hinder existing recycling processes.
Traditional plastic packaging has a high environmental cost as it contributes to landfill, marine pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Even today's bioplastics often fall short of expectations: they degrade too slowly under real-world conditions, do not meet the requirements for food-grade applications, or rely on raw materials imported from outside Europe.
E-OilÉ establece un nuevo estándar aplicando los principios de sostenibilidad desde el diseño (SSbD- Safe and Sustainable by Design) a lo largo de todo el ciclo de vida del producto. El proyecto utilizará materias primas renovables, en este caso derivadas de subproductos de la oliva, para crear poliésteres biodegradables y mezclas a base de polisacáridos, diseñadas para cumplir con exigentes requisitos funcionales y medioambientales.
Los nuevos materiales serán validados en procesos industriales de fabricación de envases como extrusión soplado de films, moldeo por inyección y termoformado, y los prototipos serán sometidos a pruebas completas de biodegradabilidad, evaluaciones de riesgos medioambientales y de salud, y estudios de aceptación por parte de los consumidores, para garantizar su aptitud para entrar en el mercado.
Moreover, this project will use digital twins and AI-based tools to predict degradation performance, accelerate optimisation, and reduce testing costs, thereby helping to speed up the implementation of sustainable packaging innovations.
E-OilÉ is looking to provide safe, low-cost, market-ready alternatives that meet both performance and sustainability requirements.
“In the E-OilÉ project, we are rethinking the concept of packaging. It is not only about how it is manufactured, but also about its performance against complex products such as oils, its ability to biodegrade in real environments and how to make use of by-products that are readily available in Europe from olive-related agricultural activities to develop smarter, safer, more sustainable materials that will drive a circular future", said María José Suárez (GAIKER), the project’s coordinator.
GAIKER in E-OilÉ
GAIKER, a technology centre that specialises in sustainable materials, waste recovery and innovative solutions involving plastics and coordinates the E-OilÉ project, will be responsible for validating biodegradable materials and packaging at a functional level, and redesigning them prior to industrial scaling. Following Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing (LCA and LCC) methods, it will also study the sustainability and circularity of the proposed biodegradable packaging solutions and their potential recyclability.
Project partners
The E-OilÉ project will last for 4 years and involves representatives across the entire value chain of the project: material manufacturers such as NOVAMONT SPA and OIMO BIOPLASTICS, S.L.; packaging manufacturers such as UGRINPACK KFT, CTLPACKGROUP S.L. and PROPAGROUP SPA; end users from the food and cosmetics sectors such as DESMELIS ATHANASIOS and AHAVA, and companies responsible for social impact and the communication, dissemination and exploitation of results such as HOLOSS, ILSI and PNO INNO INNOVATION. Other companies supporting the industrial partners in the technical developments of E-OILÉ include: GAIKER (characterising and improving the performance of materials, LCA, LCC and recyclability), ITENE (processability and characterisation, and leading SSBD activities), CNTA (validating products packaged in new materials), DTI (biodegradation and end of life) and NORCE (AI modelling of biodegradability processes).
“Designed to be biodegradable, created to be sustainable”.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101177771.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) 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 can be held responsible for them.
