Horizon Europe HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01: Improving Circularity of Multilayer Flexible Plastic Food Contact Packaging

Your notes (local)

Relevance Comment (remote)

Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 10:35

Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call for proposals targeting improved circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging. EU contribution EUR 5-6 million per project (total budget EUR 11 million). Requires consortia of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 EU/Associated Countries. TRL 6-8 expected. Opens 17 April 2026, deadline 17 September 2026.

Source: https://horizon-europe.gouv.fr/improving-circularity-multilayer-flexible-plastic-food-contact-packaging-41946

Funding Details

Funder: European Commission (Horizon Europe)
Funding Goal: To improve the circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging by establishing industrial-scale recycling systems that return food-contact plastic back to food-contact applications.
Funding Amount: EUR 5-6 million per project (total call budget EUR 11 million) (5.000.000 € – 6.000.000 €)
Deadline: 2026-09-17 (Fixed)
How to Apply: Single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The call opens on 17 April 2026 and closes on 17 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Proposals are submitted by a consortium coordinator on behalf of the partnership. As an Innovation Action (IA), the EU funding rate is up to 70% of eligible costs (100% for non-profit organizations). Evaluation follows standard Horizon Europe criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation.
Target Region: EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries
Last Checked: 2026-03-11 19:35

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries
Full value chain participation required: material suppliers, converters, food companies, waste managers, and recyclers

Project Scope

Projects must target TRL 6-8 (near-market demonstration level)
Must address mono-material multilayer solutions for sorting and recycling of food contact packaging
Must include lifecycle analyses and robust impact assessments
Must integrate physical recycling technologies with digital solutions (AI, watermarking, digital product passports)

Required Documents

Submit proposal via EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 17 September 2026

Constraints

Must demonstrate food-contact compliance per EU Regulations 2022/1616 and 1935/2004

Summary

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01 is a Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Innovation Action targeting the challenge of recycling multilayer flexible plastic films used in food packaging. The call aims to establish industrial-scale recycling systems that can return food-contact plastic back to food-contact applications, addressing a major gap in plastic circularity where multilayer films are commonly difficult to recycle. The total call budget is EUR 11 million, with an expected EU contribution of EUR 5-6 million per project. Proposals must demonstrate mono-material multilayer solutions for effective sorting and recycling, eco-design improvements, digital product passports, and integration of physical technologies (separation, purification, decontamination) with digital solutions (AI, watermarking). Activities should reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6-8 by project completion. Full value chain participation is mandatory, requiring involvement from material suppliers, converters, food companies, waste managers, and recyclers. Proposals must also achieve food-contact compliance per EU Regulations 2022/1616 and 1935/2004, conduct robust lifecycle analyses, and demonstrate consumer awareness initiatives about proper disposal methods. The call opens on 17 April 2026 with a deadline of 17 September 2026. As a Horizon Europe call, eligibility requires consortia of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. This is a single-stage submission process under the Innovation Actions type, meaning proposals are evaluated in one round.

Historical Context

This is part of the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 work programme 2025-2027 under the destination "Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors". It is a single call with a fixed deadline, part of the broader EU commitment to circular economy under the European Green Deal.

Why it was added

Deep Search PC1-1: Directly targets plastic packaging circularity under Horizon Europe Cluster 6, high relevance for circular economy plastics funding

Sources

Similar Programs

Program	Source	Shared Tags
LIFE Programme Multi-Annual Work Programme 2025-2027 Overview For NGOs For Researchers For Startups Government Multilateral Grant Biodiversity Circular Economy Climate Marine Conservation Plastic Waste Pollution Recycling & Upcycling Waste Management	EU	9
Interreg South Baltic Programme 2021-2027 - Circular Ocean-bound Plastic For NGOs For Researchers Government Multilateral Grant Baltic Sea Blue Economy Capacity Building Circular Economy Marine Conservation Plastic Waste Recycling & Upcycling Waste Management	EU	8
GIZ - SWITCH to Circular Economy in Eastern and Southern Africa (SWITCH-2-CE) For NGOs For Startups Government Multilateral Grant Technical Assistance Africa Blue Economy Capacity Building Circular Economy Climate Plastic Waste Recycling & Upcycling Waste Management	International	8
SWITCH to Circular Economy in Eastern and Southern Africa For NGOs For Startups Government Multilateral Grant Technical Assistance Africa Capacity Building Circular Economy Plastic Waste Recycling & Upcycling Waste Management	International	8
Reducing Marine Litter in the Caribbean through Circular Economy For NGOs For Startups Government Multilateral Grant Global Biodiversity Capacity Building Circular Economy Marine Conservation Plastic Waste Recycling & Upcycling Waste Management	International	8

← Back to list