The first day of the NoAW final stakeholder webinar was centred around the achievements of the NoAW project. This session was called as The Seven Seasons of the NoAW project, that drove the audience through on the aims, challenges and the main results.

Season 1, Preparing the future by Anne Verniquet (SOFIES) gave a good overview of critical challenges of the linear and fossil-based system and emphasize the advantages of bioeconomy.

Season 2 – People’s needs by Burkhard Schaer (Ecozept) presented the NoAW main learnings on identifying the needs of stakeholders.

Season 3 – The products in a basket by David Bolzonella (INNOVEN) and Annamaria Celli (UNIBO) presented the new opportunities on producing high added value biobased products from agro-wastes.

Season 4 – The fruitful pathways by David Bolzonella (INNOVEN) and Annamaria Celli (UNIBO) explained the main routes that NoAW considered; a mix of biotechnological and chemical approaches to obtain its targeted biobased products.

Season 5 – The prospective wealth by Jan Broeze (DLO-FBR) gave insight about business aspects of valorisation of agricultural wastes. Examples of limiting factors for small market volumes were presented, such as legislation, availability, packaging market e.g. PHBV or PHBV composites.

Season 6 – Going round and round in circles by Stig Irving Olsen (DTU) and Daniel Rossi (GCIA) explained the need for a shift to the circular economy, recent developments inside and outside of the EU and the societal impacts.

Season 7 – Map to the promised land by Julien Voogt (DLO-FBR) introduced the method that was used to quantify NoAW’s economic and ecological benefits.

On the first day, two moderated discussions helped to exchange views on biomaterials and the evaluation of their environmental and societal benefits.

On the second day, the invited speakers kept their inspiring presentations related to biogas and biomaterials.

“Biogas and anaerobic waste treatment – Current status and strategies for a circular bio-based economy” by Jean-Philippe Steyer (INRAE)

“How to fight pollution from plastics in the agricultural and food sector?” by Valérie Guillard, (University of Montpellier)