ECOZEPT GBR

Their core work

ECOZEPT is a German consultancy specializing in organic and sustainable food systems, based in Freising near Munich. They provide market research, strategic advisory, and policy analysis for the organic food and agriculture sector across Europe. Their H2020 work spans sustainable food supply chains, low-input farming systems, agricultural waste valorization, and circular food packaging — consistently bridging the gap between ecological farming practices and market-oriented analysis. They bring applied expertise in food chain sustainability assessment, farmer economics, and environmental impact evaluation of packaging and agricultural practices.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ECOZEPT's early H2020 involvement (2016-2018) focused broadly on food chain sustainability and agricultural waste — projects like Strength2Food and NoAW addressed supply chain quality and waste-to-value conversion. From 2018 onward, their work sharpened into two distinct tracks: ecological farming systems with socio-economic dimensions (LIFT, with keywords around labour productivity, job creation, and working conditions) and circular food packaging (GLOPACK, then CIRCULAR FoodPack). The trajectory shows a clear shift from general food sustainability toward the intersection of packaging circularity and farm-level socio-economic performance.

ECOZEPT is converging on circular food packaging and socio-economic analysis of sustainable farming, positioning them well for Farm-to-Fork and EU packaging regulation projects.

How they like to work

ECOZEPT consistently joins as a partner rather than leading consortia — zero coordinator roles across five projects. They operate in large, diverse consortia (99 unique partners across 25 countries), suggesting they are valued as a specialist contributor brought in for market analysis or sustainability assessment within bigger research efforts. Their most recent involvement as a third party in CIRCULAR FoodPack indicates they may also serve as a subcontracted expert, reinforcing a flexible, advisory role.

ECOZEPT has built a remarkably broad network of 99 unique consortium partners across 25 countries, indicating deep integration into European food and agriculture research communities. Their geographic reach spans nearly all of the EU, making them a well-connected node for consortium building in food sustainability topics.

What sets them apart

ECOZEPT occupies a rare niche as an SME consultancy that bridges organic food market expertise with EU research on packaging circularity and farming systems. Unlike universities or large research institutes, they bring a market-oriented, applied perspective — understanding what sustainable food solutions need to succeed commercially. Their dual track in both food packaging circularity and agroecological farm economics makes them an unusually versatile partner for projects that need to connect environmental research with real-world market and policy impact.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GLOPACK
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 311,229), focused on low-impact food packaging — directly relevant to the EU's packaging regulation push.
• LIFT
  Uniquely combines ecological farming with socio-economic analysis (job creation, working conditions, labour productivity), showing ECOZEPT's ability to handle human dimensions of sustainability.
• CIRCULAR FoodPack
  Most recent project (2021-2024) on circular packaging for food contact — signals their current strategic direction and continued relevance in this fast-moving policy area.