EUROPEAN BIOPLASTICS EV

Their core work

European Bioplastics is the leading industry association representing the bioplastics sector in Europe, based in Berlin. In H2020 projects, they contribute market knowledge, standardization expertise, and industry coordination for bio-based polymer development — from packaging films to biomedical skin-contact products. Their role is to bridge the gap between bioplastics research and market adoption by providing regulatory guidance, industry benchmarking, and dissemination to the broader bioplastics value chain. They bring the industry perspective into research consortia, ensuring that new bio-based materials meet real commercial and regulatory requirements.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2017-2019) centered on bio-based polymers for personal care and skin-contact applications — diapers, wound dressings, cosmetics — plus initial packaging work. From 2021 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward sustainable packaging (rigid, flexible, multilayer), circular economy solutions (recycling, upcycling, enzymatic recovery), and community-building through nanomaterials standardization. The trajectory shows a move from niche biomedical applications toward mainstream packaging sustainability and industry-wide coordination.

Moving toward circular packaging systems and bioplastics standardization — expect future involvement in recycling infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and large-scale bio-based packaging deployment.

How they like to work

European Bioplastics consistently participates as a partner, never as coordinator — their value lies in industry representation, dissemination, and market validation rather than research leadership. With 100 unique partners across 20 countries, they operate as a network hub connecting academic researchers with the commercial bioplastics industry. Their broad consortium exposure makes them an accessible and well-connected partner for anyone entering the bioplastics space.

Extensive European network spanning 100 unique consortium partners across 20 countries, reflecting their role as a pan-European industry association. Their reach covers the full bioplastics value chain from polymer producers to packaging companies and waste management actors.

What sets them apart

As the main European industry association for bioplastics, they offer something no university or SME can: direct access to the commercial bioplastics sector and its market intelligence. They provide legitimacy and industry buy-in for research projects, which is critical for exploitation and market uptake of results. For consortium builders, adding European Bioplastics signals to evaluators that the project has genuine industry engagement and a pathway to standardization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BIOMAC
  Largest funding (EUR 203,938) and most ambitious scope — building a European community around sustainable bio-based nanomaterials with predictive modelling and standardization.
• PRESERVE
  Directly addresses the circular economy challenge for bioplastics with both recycling and upcycling pathways for multilayer packaging — a critical industry bottleneck.
• POLYBIOSKIN
  Unusual application crossover: bio-based polymers applied to biomedical and cosmetic skin-contact products, expanding bioplastics beyond packaging.