MI-PLAST DOO ZA PROIZVODNJU, TRGOVINU I PRUZANJE USLUGA

Their core work

MI-PLAST is a Croatian plastics and packaging SME based in Rijeka that specializes in developing sustainable, bio-based, and biodegradable packaging materials as alternatives to conventional plastics. They contribute manufacturing and materials processing expertise to EU research consortia focused on circular economy solutions for the packaging value chain. Their project portfolio spans bio-based polymer coatings, moulded pulp packaging, recyclable food packaging with enhanced barrier properties, and waste-to-resource conversion — positioning them as a practical industry partner that helps translate lab-scale bio-packaging research into real production processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

MI-PLAST's entire H2020 portfolio was launched in a concentrated burst during 2016-2017, making it difficult to identify a clear chronological shift in focus. Their earliest projects (HYPERBIOCOAT, PULPACKTION, FUNGUSCHAIN in 2016) established their foundation in bio-based coatings and renewable packaging, while the 2017 cohort (CIRC-PACK, REFUCOAT, AFTERLIFE, RES URBIS) expanded into explicit circular economy and waste recovery themes. The progression suggests a broadening from pure material development toward full lifecycle thinking — from making bio-packaging to closing the loop on packaging waste.

MI-PLAST is moving from developing individual bio-based packaging materials toward full circular economy solutions that address both production and end-of-life for plastic packaging.

How they like to work

MI-PLAST operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated a project, which is typical for a manufacturing SME contributing industry expertise rather than driving research agendas. With 98 unique partners across 19 countries from just 7 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 14+ partners per project) and appear comfortable integrating into complex multi-national teams. Their role pattern suggests they are valued as an accessible industry endpoint that provides real-world manufacturing context and testing capabilities to research-driven consortia.

Extensive network of 98 unique partners spanning 19 countries, built entirely through large BBI and Horizon 2020 consortia. For a Croatian SME, this represents remarkably broad European connectivity in the bio-based packaging and circular economy space.

What sets them apart

MI-PLAST fills a specific gap that many bio-packaging research consortia need: a working plastics manufacturer willing to test, validate, and eventually adopt bio-based and recyclable alternatives at production scale. As a Croatian SME, they bring geographic diversity (underrepresented EU-13 country) to consortia, which is attractive for proposal scoring. Their unusually broad project portfolio — seven H2020 projects with over EUR 2.2M in funding — signals that they are a trusted and repeatedly selected industry partner in the bio-packaging space.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PULPACKTION
  Largest single grant (EUR 545,885) and a five-year BBI demonstration project on moulded pulp as a renewable packaging alternative — signals deep industrial involvement.
• CIRC-PACK
  Directly addresses circular economy across the entire plastic packaging value chain, with the richest keyword set indicating MI-PLAST's core strategic direction.
• AFTERLIFE
  Extends MI-PLAST beyond packaging into wastewater filtration and resource recovery — their most diversified project, running until 2022.