Theme 3: Biowaste reduction and valorization 

Large volumes of primary and secondary organic waste, such as agricultural and food waste, forestry residues, and post-consumer bio-based materials from textiles and construction, are underutilised, or disposed of in environmentally harmful ways. This leads to missed economic opportunities and increasing pollution. There is an urgent need for innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions to transform these waste streams into commercially viable products.

Solutions should partially or totally solve one or more of the following issues:

• Support rural producers in identifying and designing feasible biowaste valorisation pathways.
• Convert available biomass feedstocks into commercially viable high-value bio-based materials or products.
• Reduce the environmental impact of biomass disposal and conversion.
• Overcome barriers to increasing the recycling rate of biobased materials.
• Specifically, reduce food waste from institutional catering, such as canteens in educational institutions.

We are looking for ideas, concepts or prototypes at different stages of development, close-to-market or market-ready solutions, to address –but not limited to– the following:

• Cost-effective, small- to medium-scale bioprocessing technologies that are mobile or modular and suitable for rural deployment.
• Novel recycling techniques for mixed or synthetic fibres into new bioprocessed products.
• Safe and compliant applications for ash from incinerated animal by-products (e.g., fertilizer, construction materials).
• Food-waste reduction solutions, including food preservation technologies and smart packaging.
• Bioprocessing technologies to transform agricultural, forestry, aquatic residues, and food waste into high-value bioproducts and services—ranging from fermentation, extraction, extrusion, and composting systems to integrated biorefinery blueprints.