The EU Green Week is one of the main European events dedicated to environmental policy, which occurs yearly. In 2022, the priority was given to “the European Green Deal – the EU’s sustainable and transformative growth strategy for a resource-efficient and climate-neutral Europe by 2050“. In that context, from May 30 to June 5, 2022, various virtual events, two days of conferences and several virtual exhibitions were organised.
The European Green Week initiative
The EU Green Week is the key event to debate and discuss the EU environment policy calendar in early June. This annual opportunity attracts policymakers, leading environmentalists, stakeholders and other interested parties from across Europe and the globe.
Down the years, EU Green Week delivered on its objectives, improving the understanding of EU environmental policies, feeding into debates about their development, and improving the overall image of the EU among citizens and stakeholders around Europe.
This year, the European Green week focused on the ‘European Green Deal’. It was articulated around a high level debate on what happens to the EU environmental policy in times of crisis and three important aspects of the transformation – circular economy, zero pollution, and biodiversity. Dedicated events were organized throughout the week by the European Commission, but also by independent entities.
Nenu2PHAr’s contribution
The plastics industry is responsible for massive pollution in the environment, and it is necessary to close the loop of the circular economy.
To this end, NENU2PHAr partners are developing an original route to produce PHAs (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) from sustainable and renewable resources : micro-algae biomass using CO2 as carbon source and processed by selected bacterial strains. Because PHAs plastics avoid marine pollution by not releasing toxic microplastic into the ocean. Our partner UBS-IRDL will confirm the biodegradability of PHA-based materials in both freshwater and seawater through various assessments to ensure a sustainable end-of-life scenario. This concept follows the guideline of the « EU Action Plan toward a Zero Pollution Ambition ».
Several end-of-life solutions to avoid plastic waste and pollution are currently being explored ; PHA-based polymers are developed with re-manufacturing in mind. The Nenu2PHAr’s plastic end-products will improve the recycling rate up to 100% by addressing the concept of multi-layered mono-material films.
Therefore, those different actions answer to the call of the European Green Deal : circular economy, zero pollution, and biodiversity.