Today, rural areas cover approximately 80% of the European Union’s territory and are home to 30% of its population, playing a key role in the development of sustainable supply chains through different lines of action. The BRILIAN project, funded by the European Union, aims to promote and develop a new business model in collaboration with cooperatives, agricultural companies, raw material processors and industries.
In BRILIAN, the Italian pilot develops in parallel with two other pilot projects, one in Spain and one in Denmark, to propose circularity models that can be replicated at a European level.
Novamont, as a leading partner of the Italian pilot, is responsible for the implementation of specific Actions for Bio-Innovation (ABI), coordinating the creation of new business models and developing an innovative organizational model to support rural cohesion.
In a territorial context characterized by small and medium-sized agricultural companies, the Italian pilot – under the guidance of Novamont Spa – promotes the recovery of unproductive and marginal land, and the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, with the aim of supporting farmers to maximize the yield of their land, increasing the value of production, and opening new ways to diversify sources of income and traditional agricultural activities.
The raw materials produced as part of the Italian pilot project will be valorised through sustainable processes, developing highly innovative agro-industrial supply chains to produce bio products with high added value.
The activities of the first agricultural season of the Italian pilot began in September 2023 and will end with the first harvest, involving farmers, the fulcrum of the Italian supply chain. The agricultural products will be processed in local processing plants and valorised in bio refinery processes, thanks to innovative technologies, generating valuable bio-based products and intermediates.
Raw materials used: thistle (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis DC), safflower (Chartamus tinctorius L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Thistle and safflower were selected because they require low production inputs and are not very susceptible to adverse soil and climate conditions, while sunflower was selected for its versatility.
Final targeted bioapplications: bioplastics for agricultural use, biolubricants, bioherbicides, biostimulants, animal feed and substrates for the cultivation of edible mushrooms to be tested as part of the pilot itself.
About BRILLIAN
The BRILIAN project represents a dynamic and forward-looking initiative that addresses the urgent challenges of our time. By strengthening the role of primary producers and promoting collaboration and innovation, BRILIAN paves the way for the bioeconomy by contributing to the fight against climate change for the construction of a sustainable future, characterized by a better use of resources and a resilient agricultural sector also thanks to diversified incomes.
Launched in June 2023, BRILIAN brings together a Consortium of 50 experts and 13 partners from 6 countries across Europe (Spain, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic and Greece, including 3 large companies, 3 SMEs, 3 research organisations, 2 clusters and 2 associations) to face together the various challenges of rural areas, including the environmental and energy crisis and the economic recession.
BRILIAN is an ambitious 48-month project, co-financed by the Circular Bio-Based Europe (CBE) joint initiative under the European research and innovation program “Horizon Europe 2021-2027” (HE) Grant Agreement N-101112436.
