The European SUPREME-PILOTS project will develop high-performance bio-based copolymers to overcome the limitations of conventional polyactic acid (PLA) and facilitate its use in various industrial applications.
GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), is involved in SUPREME-PILOTS (Sustainable development of advanced copolymers through reactive extrusion and material evaluation on industrial platforms), a European project funded by Horizon Europe, aimed at developing new, high-performance bio-based copolymers and facilitate their incorporation into various industrial applications.
SUPREME-PILOTS was launched with the aim of overcoming some of the limitations of conventional PLA, such as its fragility, its low resistance to impact and its lower versatility compared to certain fossil-based materials. To achieve this, the project will focus on developing bio-based polymer precursors, such as biopolyester polyols and bioPTMG, which will be used to produce new copolymers via reactive extrusion (REX), a continuous production process in which materials are heated, mixed and chemically modified simultaneously.
Materials with improved performance will be developed, thanks to this innovative, sustainable, scalable production method, which is based on artificial intelligence and using advanced European raw materials, while bringing down energy consumption, the amount of waste generated, manufacturing costs and the number of tests required. All of this will help to speed up the transition from laboratory research to industrial-scale production.
The materials developed will subsequently be adapted and validated in various industrial processes and real-world applications, in order to achieve a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7. Planned applications include foam sports equipment, street furniture, technical flooring and industrial marking tapes. Its potential application in other sectors, such as biomedicine, electronics and transport, will also be explored, thereby expanding its potential uses and market opportunities.
Furthermore, the project will assess the full life cycle of the materials and products developed, including how they can be reused, recycled or recovered at the end of their useful life.
GAIKER’s role
GAIKER is in involved in the project as an expert in environmental assessment, safety, and recycling and end-of-life strategies, taking part in various work packages and leading WP5, which focuses on assessing the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) profile of new copolymers. This work will make it possible to incorporate safety, sustainability and circularity criteria into the design of materials from the earliest stages of development.
GAIKER’s activities will include assessing the potential impacts of new copolymers on human health and the environment, and carrying out life cycle assessments (LCA) and socio-economic and sustainability studies.
Based on the results obtained, it will make recommendations aimed at improving the materials and their manufacturing processes from the perspective of safety and sustainability. It will also design and validate strategies for sorting, separating and recycling these materials at the end of their useful life, and contribute to making recommendations to strengthen the European ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ framework.
The project is being coordinated by the AITIIP Foundation, includes 14 partners from different countries and will run for 48 months, from June 2026 to May 2030.
This project has received funding from the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101178218.
