Crossing attended the 2023 edition of Ecomondo with a presentation on the LIFE RESTART project.

The talk by Noemi Bardella, a chemist expert in bioplastics involved in the LIFE RESTART project with chemical analysis of compounds, was part of the third day of the conference dedicated to the creation and monitoring of innovative solutions for circular management of materials and energy.

Bardella presented “Reuse of Beer spent grain for biopolymers and high value chemicals (LIFE RESTART)”, where after an overview of the beer industry in Italy and Europe, she then described the main innovations in the reuse of beer spent grains to produce bioplastics, all from a circular economy perspective.

Social impact

The project is disruptive not only from the point of view of the production of bioplastics, but also carries an important social impact thanks to the “factory” that will be opened in Roccavaldina, a small town near Messina, which will lead to job creation and local development, thus encompassing several of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

In the final part of the presentation, Bardella showed the first manufactured products: extrusion wires, pots, containers with perfectly screwable lids, and other objects illustrating the great versatility of the bioplastic created with the technologies explored in the project.

The public once again expressed great interest in LIFE RESTART and its replicability. Within other activities of the fair, Crossing delegates had the opportunity to get in touch with other stakeholders, mainly from the corporate world, interested in techniques and processes for the reuse of food waste.

Ecomondo is a major annual event on circular economy which offers a broad program of conferences, seminars and activities aimed at analyzing the main innovations at a technological, regulatory and market level in sectors such as the circular economy of organic and non-organic supply chains, water resource management, environmental monitoring, ecosystem regeneration, regenerative economy and prevention of environmental risks.

The 2022 edition of Ecomondo saw the participation of over 1400 companies, with almost 80,000 attendees, 10% of which from abroad. This 26th 2023 edition, held as always in Rimini, confirmed Ecomondo to be an unmissable event, a reference point for industries, government authorities and research institutions, in constant dialogue in the definition and implementation of EU strategies in the field of environmental policy.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.