upPE-T

upPE-T will directly contribute to achieve the expected impacts of the topic by:

  • upcycling up to 60% of food & drink packaging plastic wastes (PE & PET) by 2030,
  • highly contribute to increase upgraded waste recycling facilities by introducing an innovative biocatalytic system in the recycling sector,
  • establishing a viable roadmap to ensure 60% of food and drinks plastic packaging will be produced from renewable sources,
  • increase awareness among European citizens of products and materials upcycling capacity, and
  • standardisation & certification facilitating future replicability and widest use and ensure market acceptance.

 

Contact

CETEC Centro Tec. del Calzado y del Plástico

Av. Europa, 4 -5
Polígono Ind. las Salinas
30840 Alhama de Murcia
España

https://uppet.eu

    The project aims to achieve TRL 6 by the end of its lifetime and involves all key actors in the supply chain. The project will bring additional positive impacts across Europe in terms of (a) CO2 decreasing (85.6% compared to conventional plastic production), (b) 0.47Mton PHBV/year produced, (c) an estimated 424,000 tons of plastics not sent to landfilling, and (d) creation of 25 direct and 1500 indirect jobs.

    upPE-T is coordinated by CETEC, Spain and involves a total of 20 European partners from 10 countries including 7 SMEs, a Large Enterprise, 5 Universities, 4 RTOs, a Municipality, a Consumers Organisation (UNC), and a Standard Development Organisation.

    Main goals

    Objective 1: Demonstrate the technical feasibility of enzymatic technologies to degrade PET and PE wastes.

    Objective 2: Demonstrate the technical feasibility of the biotechnological production of a range of PHBV biodegradable biopolymers by using the  products resulting from PET and PE enzymatic degradation.

    Objective 3: Develop PHBV based compound grades with the required processability and performance for flexible, rigid and semirigid food and drink packaging.

    Objective 4: Ensure the sustainability of upPET from an environmental, economic and social point of view, while increasing European citizens' awareness of food and beverage packaging recycling and the concept of upcycling, and developing new standards and certification systems to ensure market acceptance and use of the developed solutions.

    Contact

    Fuensanta Monzo

    CETEC
    Project Coordinator

    +34968632200
    f.monzo@ctcalzado.org

    Fuensanta Monzo has a degree in Chemistry from Complutense University of Madrid and a PhD in Industrial Technologies from the Technical University of Cartagena. She joined CETEC Plastic and Footwear Technological Center as head of the laboratory for plastic, elastomers and footwear materials characterization, and currently holds the position of R&D project manager and senior researcher in CETEC.