The SOUL project aims to develop a set of 11 Bio-Based and Biodegradable-in-soil Product Solutions (BPSs) for agriculture, gardening, landscaping, fisheries, leisure, and sport. The consortium partners will focus on producing new materials, transforming existing plastic products, and developing sustainable end-of-life solutions. By reducing carbon footprints and preventing soil contamination, SOUL seeks to contribute to a more sustainable and bio-based economy.
SOUL 11 BPSs are designed to work with existing plastic manufacturing technologies, to perform well during use, and then to fully biodegrade in soil, helping to improve recycling, reduce waste, and preserve soil quality. BPSs will be tested in real-world conditions and brought close to market readiness.
SOUL will develop novel biobased materials designed to originate from sustainably sourced feedstock from the agrifood sector (including residues from agriculture, by-products from the agroindustry and low impact oleaginous crops cultivated on marginal lands) to produce BPSs solutions with high Renewable Raw Materials (>95%) that are intended to foster the adoption of sustainable products for agriculture, leisure and landscaping sustainable cropping systems ensuring soil quality and fertility, thus allowing the implementation of virtuous circular business models.
Traditional plastic products can pose a risk for the environment when not properly removed and disposed, when they cannot be recovered from soil, or when the recycling costs are too high. The consortium partners will develop and validate 11 BPSs that are biodegradabile in soil and compatible with various end-of-life scenarios, including composting, reuse and recycling for products not intended to remain in soil after their use.
SOUL BPSs will contribute to carbon footprint reduction by minimizing the release of greenhouse gases throughout their life cycle and along the entire value chain. The project will assess the safety, sustainability and circularity aspects of the BPSs ensuring to deliver a real, measurable win for the environment and provide roadmapping and recommendations for the sector.
The solutions developed by SOUL will be validated in 5 EU regions with different climatic conditions: Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland and Ireland.
BPS 1 - agricolture
BPSs 2-3 - agricolture
BPS 4 - agricolture
BPS 5 - agricolture
BPS 6 - agricolture
BPSs 7-8 - agricolture
BPS 9 - gardening/landscaping
BPS 10 - gardening/landscaping
BPS 11 - leisure/sports
