OWS RESEARCH FOUNDATION PS

Their core work

OWS Research Foundation is a Belgian research organization specializing in biodegradation testing, composting science, and the end-of-life assessment of bio-based plastics and polymers. Based in Sint-Martens-Latem, they contribute expertise on how bioplastics, packaging materials, and agricultural films break down under real-world conditions — including biological degradation by microorganisms, enzymes, insects, and earthworms. Their work spans the full lifecycle of bio-based materials, from polymer design and performance testing through to composting, recycling, and environmental fate analysis. They are a go-to partner for EU consortia that need rigorous biodegradation and compostability evaluation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

OWS Research Foundation entered H2020 in 2019 with a focus on bioplastic performance, PLA-based packaging, coatings, and conventional end-of-life pathways like home composting and recycling. By 2020, their work shifted toward more complex biological degradation systems — using microorganisms, enzymes, insects, and earthworms to address microplastics and agri-food waste plastics, alongside emerging interests in chitin-based biopolymers and e-beam processing. The trajectory shows a clear move from testing established bioplastic materials toward understanding and engineering biological systems that actively break down problematic plastic waste.

OWS is moving from passive biodegradation testing toward active biological remediation of plastic pollution, positioning them for the growing microplastics and soil health research agenda.

How they like to work

OWS Research Foundation operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring to contribute specialized testing and assessment expertise to larger teams. With 62 unique partners across 16 countries in just 4 projects, they consistently join large, well-funded Research and Innovation Action consortia. This pattern suggests they are a trusted specialist that consortium leaders seek out when they need credible biodegradation or composting expertise to validate their materials.

Despite only 4 projects, OWS has built a broad European network of 62 partners across 16 countries, indicating they join large multi-partner consortia. Their reach is pan-European with no visible geographic concentration beyond their Belgian base.

What sets them apart

OWS Research Foundation occupies a specific niche: they are the biodegradation and composting validation partner. While many organizations develop new bio-based materials, OWS answers the critical question of what happens to those materials at end of life. For consortium builders, this makes them a natural complement to any polymer chemistry or packaging innovation team — they provide the environmental fate data that regulators and certification bodies require.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CAFIPLA
  Largest funding (EUR 737,714) — focused on combining carboxylic acid production with fibre recovery, representing the most resource-intensive engagement for OWS.
• RECOVER
  Most scientifically ambitious — investigated biological degradation of microplastics using insects, earthworms, and enzymes, plus chitin-based biopolymer synthesis from waste.
• BIOnTop
  Broadest application scope — covered packaging, textiles, food, and personal care sectors with bio-based copolymer films designed for tailored end-of-life pathways.