The third and final UPCYCLE Industry Roundtable took place on 15 April in Spain, bringing together a highly engaged group of stakeholders from across the food packaging value chain. Organised by EROSKI and AIMPLAS, with the collaboration of the Basque Food Cluster, the session marked the conclusion of the threecountry roundtable series launched earlier in Belgium and Denmark.
Titled “The Future of Food Packaging: Biobased Materials and New Solutions,” the workshop fostered an open and productive exchange on how upcycling strategies, biobased feedstocks, and innovative material recovery pathways can accelerate the transition toward more circular packaging systems. Participants discussed current challenges in the Spanish market, emerging opportunities for industry adoption, and practical steps needed to reduce reliance on nonrecyclable plastics.
The roundtable was characterised by strong engagement and active participation, with stakeholders contributing insights from retail, manufacturing, research, and innovation ecosystems. Their contributions enriched the discussion and reinforced the importance of industry involvement as UPCYCLE continues advancing new pathways for biobased and circular packaging.
UPCYCLE was also pleased to count on the presence of E-oilé, our sister project, and associated member of the Basque Food Cluster. This participation offered a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration between both initiatives, particularly in the shared objective of analysing the potential of new sustainable materials for food packaging applications. The exchange highlighted complementarities between the projects and opened avenues for future joint actions.
By bringing together perspectives from Belgium, Denmark, and Spain, the industry roundtable series has created a clearer picture of how circular and biobased packaging can scale across Europe. These insights will directly inform UPCYCLE’s upcoming work and strengthen collaboration with industry as the project moves into its next phase.
