GUARRO CASAS, S.A.

Their core work

Guarro Casas is a Spanish specialty paper manufacturer based in Gelida, Catalonia, with an industrial background in paper production, processing, and formulation. In EU research projects, they contribute as an industrial partner providing real manufacturing infrastructure — pilot lines, substrate materials, and scale-up capabilities — rather than conducting fundamental research themselves. Their participation in projects covering printed electronics and bio-based packaging reflects their core industrial asset: the ability to turn advanced material concepts (nanocelluloses, functional coatings, bio-sourced fibers) into manufacturable paper-based products. They serve as the bridge between laboratory-scale nanomaterial research and commercially viable paper production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2018–2021), Guarro Casas was focused on paper as a functional electronics substrate — contributing to printed biosensors, smart labels, and flexible hybrid electronics using nanocelluloses. By 2021, their focus shifted toward sustainable bio-based packaging: plant-derived biomaterials, eco-design, recycling, and circular economy applications for consumer goods and transport packaging. The shift is consistent with a paper manufacturer responding to market pressure: from high-tech niche applications (printed electronics) toward the much larger sustainability-driven packaging industry, where their core production infrastructure has direct commercial relevance.

Guarro Casas is moving toward sustainable packaging and circular economy applications — a direction that aligns with regulatory pressure on single-use plastics and the growing demand for paper-based alternatives in FMCG and logistics sectors.

How they like to work

Guarro Casas has never led an H2020 project — they participate as an industrial partner or third party, contributing manufacturing expertise rather than research leadership. Their involvement in large consortia (51 unique partners across 12 countries) suggests they are comfortable in complex multi-partner structures where their role is well-defined and bounded. The third-party designation in INN-PRESSME implies they provide a specific industrial capability — likely pilot-line access or material supply — without carrying primary project responsibility.

Guarro Casas has worked with 51 unique consortium partners across 12 countries through just two projects, indicating they joined large, internationally diverse consortia typical of EU Innovation Actions. Their network is broad but shallow — wide geographic exposure without repeated bilateral partnerships visible in this dataset.

What sets them apart

Guarro Casas occupies a rare position in EU research consortia: a large industrial paper manufacturer willing to open its production facilities and process expertise to applied research projects. Most paper companies stay out of EU projects entirely; Guarro Casas offers what few can — validated industrial-scale paper processing for novel material concepts. For consortium builders, they are the manufacturing validation layer that makes functional paper or bio-based packaging research credible to reviewers and investors.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INNPAPER
  Their only directly funded H2020 project (EUR 782,500 EC contribution), in which they contributed industrial paper expertise to develop multifunctionalized paper substrates for printed biosensors and smart labelling — an unusual combination of traditional paper manufacturing and advanced electronics.
• INN-PRESSME
  A 2021–2025 Innovation Action where they serve as a third-party industrial partner in an open innovation ecosystem for plant-based nano-enabled biomaterials, signalling their strategic move toward sustainable packaging at commercial scale.