It is the key objective of the project CRISTAL (40 months) to increase the share of freight transport on inland water transport (IWT) by a minimum of 20% and to demonstrate on its three pilot sites (Italy, Poland and France) strategies to improve reliability by 80%. CRISTAL project will assure IWT capacity at 50% even during extreme weather events. Towards that CRISTAL will co-create, test and implement integrated, cooperative and innovative solutions in its three pilot partners’ areas identified in Italy, France and Poland. The project will include the aspects of technological innovation/development and digitalization; further advancement towards the Physical Internet, governance solution and business models, will be proposed while targeting sustainability and infrastructure resilience requirements.

Optimising agricultural and forest residues and waste management to increase renewable energy incorporation and reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural and forestry systems is currently essential and goes hand in hand with improving the resilience and sustainability of remote regions. The PYRAGRAF project will develop a mobile and integrated unit to demonstrate the pyrolytic conversion of forestry and agriculture crops residues and wastes into added-value products. The concept for this mobile demonstration system at TRL 7 is composed of 3 main modules: 1) a solar-assisted gasifier burner, 2) a biomass dryer, and 3) an integrated pyrolysis reactor thus producing sustainable products using renewable sources (solar energy and biomass). This multi-product approach includes two main product categories - biochar and wood vinegar ecosystems services; and energy applications of upgraded pyrogas and bio-oil – that can be integrated with different agriculture applications, thus enabling to reduce GHG emissions and the use of fossil resources and in agricultural practices; improve the development of rural areas, among other benefits. Field demonstrations with the involvement of local stakeholders inside and outside of the project will be conducted in 3 countries (PT, DE and TR) to demonstrate the operation of the mobile pyrolysis unit and evaluate the fertilisation and biopesticide potential of biochars and wood vinegar in different soils/crops and climate conditions. The pyrogas and bio-oil will also be evaluated as energy carriers for dual-fuel engine sand fuel cells as biofuel to be used in local agriculture or forestry practices. Because of its potential impact, the project will work towards reaching the outcomes of the work programme and lead to relevant changes in practice via three well-defined impact pathways that will ultimately contribute to producing low-carbon products that fit the ambitious requirements of the policies and strategies defined by the EU.

The SAFARI project aims to develop new 2D materials using sustainable and safe processes. The project focuses on creating hybrid formulations of MXenes and Graphene (Gr), which are known to possess unique and desirable properties such as thermal stability electrical conductivity. The goal of the project is to develop sustainable and safe materials that can be used in a wide range of applications such as biosensors, conductive ink, and EMI shielding. The SAFARI project begins with the preparation of precursor compounds known as MAX phases. These compounds are then used to produce two types of MXenes (Ti3C2 and Cr2C) which are further functionalized to enhance their properties and increase their affinity with Graphene. The resulting 2D hybrid materials are created using two different methods, and their structural, morphological, and functional properties are thoroughly examined. One of the main strengths of the SAFARI project is that is allinged with the SSbD principles. Thus assessment of the toxicological and eco-toxicological profiles of the new materials through a range of tests and assays will be conducted. In conclusion, the SAFARI project represents a significant step forward in the development of 2D hybrids with MXenes/Graphene for use in a wide range applications.

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest and investment in the use of Agricultural Digital Technologies (ADSs). The use of ADSs is seen by many as an opportunity to increase the economic and environmental performance of the agricultural sector. Despite great efforts and resources spent, uptake of ADSs by EU farmers has been limited for reasons like a) the frequently excessive cost of ADSs, b) the low trust that farmers have on ADSs and data sharing, for a variety reasons, and c) the weak network connectivity problems experienced by farms in remote areas, which affect the performance of the ADS. The overall aim of the OpenAgri project is to democratise digital farming by enabling the development and deployment of innovative cost-effective energy-efficient OS software and open hardware-based ADSs that can operate at a high performance even in remote areas with weak connectivity. This will be achieved by a) ensuring the co-creation of ADSs by engaging farmers and farm advisors in participatory prototyping activities inspired by the makerspaces approach; and b) providing access to a number of reusable OS software services designed to support the edge and mixed computing mode, and a “sociotechnical infrastructure”. Using a multi-actor approach, OpenAgri will involve farmers, ADSs providers, farm advisors and scientists in 14 Sustainable Innovation Pilots (SIPs) in ≥10 countries across Europe, and guide them in co-creating and piloting edge, cloud and mixed-model ADSs addressing important challenges of agricultural production. 5 SIPs have been pre-selected and 9 more will be awarded through an Open Call, enabling a dynamic response to a changing policy and technology landscape. Finally, building on a thorough analysis of EU agriculture and the results from the SIPs, OpenAgri will create a Decision Support Tool that will allow Policy Makers, Farmers and Farm Advisors to select the best possible cloud, edge or mixed ADSs for any given set of conditions.

While Europeans can track and understand their personal transport emissions, they have little to no information regarding the impact of their online shopping deliveries and returns. This is due to a mix of challenges, including the complexity of calculating emissions across the e-commerce supply chain, and the limited regulatory levers public authorities have to influence greener practices. To overcome these challenges, GreenTurn brings together a diverse range of e-commerce stakeholders to co-create zero-emission logistics solutions, provide sound and transparent information on e-commerce footprints, and enable more sustainable delivery and return choices. The consortium comprises 14 partners from 7 different countries, and is further complemented by its Stakeholder Advisory Board, activated during key project moments. GreenTurn uses design thinking approaches to develop solutions which bridge between behavioural interventions (including incentives, nudges and gamification) and delivery and return options (such as time windows, in-store pick-ups and returnable packaging, among others). To test solutions, GreenTurn implements 5 complementary pilots involving 1 LSP, 1 marketplace provider and 1 retailer - as partners, and >8 LSPs, >3 marketplaces, >7 retailers - as stakeholders. Through the involvement of significant and diverse companies, the project has potential to reach and raise awareness among >30M e-commerce consumers from 5 countries: Poland, Spain, France, Greece and Austria. Advanced logistics systems allow the five pilots to offer, on average, 82% of delivery and return options as zero-emission. Besides, the GreenTurn pilots will touch upon social sustainability aspects too, for both customers (e.g., physical and digital accessibility), and e-commerce logistics employees (e.g., work conditions, market reintegration, etc.) Together with its public authorities, GreenTurn will translate results into policies that can secure uptake and long-term impact.