SILON SRO

Their core work

SILON SRO is a Czech polymer and plastics manufacturer specializing in materials for packaging, films, and fibres. In H2020 projects, they contribute expertise in developing and testing bio-based and recyclable polymer formulations — including coatings, barrier layers, and multilayer packaging structures. Their work spans the full lifecycle from material composition through end-of-life options such as recycling, biodegradation, and composting. As an industrial partner, they bring real-world production capability for validating sustainable packaging solutions at scale.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SILON's early H2020 work (2018) centered on mechanical and solvent-based recycling of conventional multi-material plastics — composites, textiles, films, and multilayer packaging through the MultiCycle project. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward bio-based alternatives: PLA copolymers, biodegradable coatings, and packaging designed for home composting or enzymatic upcycling. This trajectory shows a company transitioning from "how to recycle existing plastics" to "how to design plastics that don't need traditional recycling."

SILON is moving toward circular bioeconomy packaging — expect future work in compostable and enzymatically recyclable food-contact materials.

How they like to work

SILON operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with an industrial company contributing materials expertise and production validation rather than driving research agendas. With 60 unique partners across 16 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large European consortia (averaging 20 partners per project). This breadth suggests they are a valued industrial validation partner who gets invited into major collaborative programmes.

Despite only 3 projects, SILON has built a broad network of 60 partners spanning 16 countries, indicating involvement in large, pan-European research consortia focused on circular economy and sustainable materials.

What sets them apart

SILON brings something many academic-heavy packaging consortia lack: an industrial polymer producer that can test and validate bio-based formulations under real production conditions. Their progression from conventional plastics recycling to bio-based circular packaging means they understand both legacy systems and next-generation materials. For consortium builders, they offer a credible industrial endpoint where lab-scale bioplastic innovations can be tested against manufacturing reality.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MultiCycle
  Their largest funded project (EUR 244,825), tackling one of packaging's hardest problems: recycling multi-material plastic composites including films, textiles, and multilayer structures.
• PRESERVE
  Their most recent project, combining bio-based packaging with advanced techniques like e-beam processing, enzymatic upcycling, and microfibrillar reinforcement — pointing to their future direction.
• BIOnTop
  Bridges food packaging and textiles using PLA-based bioplastics with tailored biodegradation, connecting SILON to the food-contact materials value chain.