Strategy, Synergies, and Sustainability: 3rd SUSTAINEXT General Assembly

The partners attending the 3^rd General assembly from 20 to 22 November 2024 of the SUSTAINEXT project in Milan went over the first 18 months of work, with a strategic view on all the activities and progress made so far. It was an opportunity to benefit from the know-how and background of the different partners, present the challenges and achievements of each Work Package, and plan the actions to move forward in the coming months.

The work packages have achieved significant progress, including the cultivation and first harvest of selected aromatic and medicinal plants (Chamomile, Rosemary, Lemon Verbena and Thistle), preparing the ground and preliminary facility design for the construction of the new flagship plant in Hervás, and various tests of prototype products for the various markets such as cosmetics, pet food and farm animal feed, nutraceuticals and food additives. A visit to the production facilities of the Italian partner STAR showed the participants the innovative food production processes and the samples of products where botanical extracts as food additives are prepared and tested.

SUSTAINEXT is dedicated to developing sustainable practices along the value chain, from growing medicinal plants in Extremadura, as well as with the operation of the new flagship biorefinery, and the innovations in B2B products. The ECODESIGN company leads work package (WP5) evaluating the sustainability of feedstocks valorization for producing botanical compounds. This time Dr. Adriana Díaz Triana and Dr. Helena Proková presented the preliminary models for assessing environmental and social impacts through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Social LCA. The insights from WP5 shall support the engagement as well as decision-making processes with partners and stakeholder.

The project is advancing, gaining recognition, leveraging synergies and strengthening collaboration among the consortium experts. The SUSTAINEXT partners prepare for the first reporting to the officials of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members, and for the ground-breaking event at the flagship location in Hervás (Extremadura) next March 2025. ECODESIGN will again present there!

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