ena Development Consultants participated in the Kick-off Meeting of the SOWISE+ (Solid Organic Waste Into Sustainable End-products) project, held on 7–8 July 2026 in Treviso, Italy, marking the official launch of a five-year European collaboration dedicated to transforming municipal organic waste into high-value bio-based materials.
Hosted at Palazzo San Leonardo, on the Università Ca' Foscari Venezia – Treviso Campus, the two-day meeting brought together representatives from the project's 25 partner organisations across nine European countries, establishing a shared vision for the successful implementation of the project.
A flagship biorefinery for circular bioeconomy
Funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), SOWISE+ aims to demonstrate an innovative multi-purpose biorefinery operating at an industrially relevant scale.
The project will convert municipal organic waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), with a particular focus on PHBV, while simultaneously recovering high-quality cellulose from used absorbent hygiene products. Through this integrated approach, SOWISE+ seeks to transform urban waste streams into valuable bio-based resources that can replace fossil-based materials in a wide range of applications.
Aligning the consortium for the next five years
During the Kick-off Meeting, consortium partners presented their organisations and areas of expertise, discussed the project's technical framework and implementation strategy, and coordinated the first activities across all Work Packages.
The discussions focused on:
the scientific and technological approach of SOWISE+,
the development of new circular value chains,
the design and operation of the flagship biorefinery,
PHBV production and cellulose recovery,
the development and validation of innovative bio-based products,
sustainability, circularity and safety assessment,
stakeholder engagement,
communication, dissemination, exploitation and replication activities.
Particular attention was given to integrating the complementary technologies, infrastructures and expertise of all consortium partners into a single urban-industrial symbiosis model capable of creating value from municipal waste streams.
From project planning to industrial implementation
Beyond the technical sessions, consortium members visited the facilities of Contarina in Trevignano and i-Foria in Spresiano, gaining first-hand insight into the operational environment where the project's flagship demonstration activities will be implemented.
These site visits allowed partners to better understand the technologies, infrastructure and industrial processes that will support the development of the SOWISE+ biorefinery over the coming years.
The meeting was also attended by Paola Paiano, Project Officer from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), who highlighted the strategic importance of SOWISE+ in supporting Europe's transition towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.
Turning municipal waste into valuable bio-based materials
SOWISE+ addresses one of Europe's major environmental challenges by demonstrating that municipal organic waste should no longer be viewed as material for disposal, but as a valuable resource for producing sustainable products.
Using biological and biotechnological processes, the project aims to produce up to 230 tonnes of PHBV annually, while recovering up to 700 tonnes of high-quality cellulose per year from used absorbent hygiene products.
These bio-based raw materials will be used to develop and validate a new generation of sustainable materials and products, contributing to reduced dependence on fossil resources and more efficient resource utilisation.
The project will also assess the environmental, social and economic sustainability of its solutions through Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, while evaluating the replication potential of its urban-industrial symbiosis model across other European regions.
ena's role in SOWISE+
Within the consortium, ena Development Consultants leads the project's communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement activities, ensuring that SOWISE+'s objectives, progress and results are effectively communicated to key audiences across Europe.
ena is responsible for developing and implementing the project's communication strategy, managing its digital presence, producing communication materials, engaging stakeholders, building synergies with other European initiatives and supporting the exploitation and replication of the project's outcomes.
By participating in the Kick-off Meeting, ena reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the successful implementation of SOWISE+ and promoting innovative circular bioeconomy solutions that contribute to Europe's sustainability ambitions.
With strong collaboration established from the very beginning, SOWISE+ embarks on a five-year journey to demonstrate how municipal organic waste can become a valuable resource for sustainable industrial production and circular bio-based value chains.