CDTI Collaborative Project
Advanced and safe materials and processes based on the concept of circular economy applied to olive oil by-products for agri-food packaging and sustainable, high-quality construction.
About the project
The continuous tightening of environmental regulations and the need to reduce carbon footprints to ensure the sustainability of companies’ industrial activities have driven (among other measures) the search for sustainable materials in sectors such as packaging and construction.
Law 7/2022 on Waste and Contaminated Soil and Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging have restricted the use of conventional plastics in the food industry, affecting manufacturers and packagers. In the construction sector, the urgent need to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency has accelerated the adoption of environmentally friendly materials. At the same time, the olive oil sector, which is key to the Andalusian economy, generates large volumes of underutilised by-products, such as olive pomace and olive pits, whose recovery represents an opportunity to develop innovative solutions in line with the circular economy.
It is against this backdrop that the project “Advanced and safe materials and processes based on the circular economy concept applied to olive oil by-products for agri-food packaging and high-quality sustainable construction” has emerged. Its main objective is to investigate the valorisation of by-products from the olive oil industry in order to develop new bio-based materials, with direct applications in food packaging specifically for olive oil and sustainable construction, thereby promoting the circular economy and sustainability in these sectors.
The consortium, led by ACESUR, brings together companies with complementary expertise in the valorisation of olive by-products, packaging and sustainable construction. ACESUR contributes its expertise in transforming by-products into bio-additives and bioplastics. TESELA, an SME linked to the University of Granada, develops sustainable construction materials using lignocellulosic additives. ADVPET, an expert in biodegradable packaging, designs innovative bottles using bioplastics. Furthermore, the consortium is supported by AINIA and AITIIP, leading research centres, which contribute their expertise in advanced technologies for the development, validation and optimisation of new bio-based materials.
The project is currently underway and is scheduled for completion in June 2028.
The project has been co-funded by the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as part of the 2021–2027 ERDF Multi-regional Programme for Spain, and is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
