INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DEL EMBALAJE, TRANSPORTE Y LOGISTICA

Their core work

ITENE is a Spanish applied research centre specializing in packaging materials, transport logistics, and circular economy solutions. They develop and test sustainable packaging — from bio-based plastics and cellulose-based materials to recyclable multi-layer films — bridging the gap between lab-scale material science and industrial production lines. They also provide nanosafety assessment and safe-by-design frameworks for nanomaterials used in packaging and manufacturing. Their work consistently targets real industrial problems: reducing plastic waste, improving food shelf life through smart packaging, and enabling enzymatic recycling of hard-to-recycle plastics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, ITENE focused on advanced packaging materials — nanocomposites, barrier coatings, electrospray deposition — and early circular economy pilots for paper and bulky products. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward end-of-life solutions: enzymatic recycling of non-recyclable plastics, safe-by-design frameworks for nanomaterials, and bio-waste-to-value chains using wastewater and municipal organic fractions. The recent period also shows a growing emphasis on exposure modelling and risk governance, suggesting ITENE is positioning itself at the intersection of material innovation and regulatory compliance.

ITENE is moving from developing new packaging materials toward ensuring those materials can be safely produced, recycled, and regulated — making them a strong partner for projects needing both material science and end-of-life/safety expertise.

How they like to work

ITENE balances leadership and partnership well: they coordinate 8 of 34 projects (24%), often leading circular economy and recycling initiatives while joining larger consortia as a packaging or nanosafety specialist. With 588 unique partners across 38 countries, they are a well-connected hub rather than a closed-circle operator — they rarely repeat the same consortium. This makes them easy to approach for new partnerships and experienced at integrating into diverse teams.

ITENE has collaborated with 588 unique partners across 38 countries, making them one of the more broadly networked packaging research centres in Europe. Their reach spans well beyond Mediterranean partners into Northern and Central Europe.

What sets them apart

ITENE combines packaging material development with deep expertise in recycling processes, nanosafety assessment, and waste valorisation — a rare full-lifecycle capability. Most packaging research centres focus on either material innovation or end-of-life; ITENE covers both, plus the safety and regulatory dimension. For consortium builders, this means one partner can address packaging design, testing, recyclability validation, and nano-risk assessment without needing separate specialists.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BIONANOPOLYS
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.43M) as coordinator — an open innovation test bed for safe nano-enabled bio-based materials, showcasing ITENE's ambition to provide shared infrastructure.
• ENZYCLE
  Coordinator of enzymatic recycling for non-recyclable plastics (multi-layer, post-consumer) — directly tackling one of the hardest problems in plastic circularity.
• SbD4Nano
  Coordinator building computing infrastructure for safe-by-design nanomaterials — signals ITENE's pivot toward digital tools and regulatory frameworks, not just bench science.