The current
geopolitical situation once again emphasizes why the EU no longer should be
dependent on countries such as China, Russia and the US for energy and
materials, but needs to stand on its own two feet as soon as possible. This
need also applies to plastics, which are one of the most widely used materials
in the EU. These are now mainly imported from Asia and the US. This offers
opportunities for the border region of Germany and the Netherlands. A region
with a traditionally strong plastic producing and processing industry that is
currently struggling and has been shrinking in recent years.
A promising
option to offer the plastics industry in the Germany-Netherlands border region
growth potential again is a switch to the production of bioplastic PHA from
waste streams from the agro-food sector. This production is independent of
(imported) oil, ensures a sustainable and circular use of waste streams and
contributes substantially to the realization of a low-CO2 economy.
The
ImPHAct! project aims to ensure that the project partners, together with other
regional partners, can realise a full-scale PHA value chain (TRL8) in the
border region of Germany and the Netherlands within 3-5 years after the end of
the project. This will allow the border region to play a pioneering role in the
production of bioplastic PHA in the EU, with an estimated turnover in the EU of
€39.50 billion in 2035.
To achieve
a full-scale PHA value chain, ImPHAct! focuses on 2 essential matters. First,
on the further development of the technology into an optimized and stabilized
PHA production process (TRL7). In addition, on accelerating the market
acceptance of PHA by demonstrating to producers, processors and users of
plastics that PHA is an economically viable, technologically scalable and
socially acceptable alternative. See appendix 1. This project thus contributes
to strengthening the research and innovation capacity of the
Germany-Netherlands border region.
