LIFE-PLA4COFFEE project is an initiative proposed and financed under the LIFE 2014 Programme of the European Union.

The project, involving two medium enterprises: Aroma System s.r.l. (Coordinator) and API Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali S.p.A. and two public research organizations: Tor Vergata University of Rome (TOV) and the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials of the National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), mainly intend to:

• Scale-up competitive material solutions for the production of compostable coffee capsules with suitable specifications required by the reference market;
• Demonstrate how an industrial innovation can ensure new productions with reduced environmental impact while safeguarding the economic growth. From the technical point of view, the partners aim to achieve the following results;
• At least one refined formulation based on polylactic acid (PLA) and able to meet processing conditions and performance criteria;
• Prototypes of new coffee capsules, fully biodegradable and with the same, if not improved, performances;
• A specifically designed pre-industrial compounding plant;
• Technologies adequately adapted to demonstrate the feasibility of the new bio-solution to the whole plastic industry.

Mid-Term Workshop announcement

The mid-term workshop will take place in Rome at Tor Vergata University on July 14th, 2017. During this Event the consortium partners will explain the implications of implementing measures in the plastic manufacturing industry. The aim of the conference, at which it is expected to attend at least 50-100 stakeholders, will be to showcase how actions should be taken during the design/production phase of plastic products to reduce the environmental impact of their life cycle.

PROJECT DETAILS

Title: LIFE PLA4COFFEE

Reference Number: LIFE 14 ENV/IT/000744

Duration: 15/07/2015 – 14/12/2017

Total Budget: 2.502.695 €

For any question or curiosity, please do not hesitate to contact

Dr. Pietro Russo: +39 338 8308815 • email: pietro.russo@ipcb.cnr.it