Europe’s agri-food systems need to evolve in a world that is being transformed by technological innovation. At the same time, these vital sectors are faced with local and global challenges arising from climate change, environmental decline and a scarcity of resources. 

“These trends are challenging for all value chain actors, but particularly for farmers, as they are constrained by low margins, geography and weak bargaining power,” says Inés Echeverría, CO-FRESH project coordinator and R&D&I director at CNTA in Spain.

In the CO-FRESH project, Echeverría coordinated a broad consortium of partners across the EU with the goal of adapting Europe’s agri-food systems to become more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and better prepared for the future.

In seven case studies, CO-FRESH redesigned and piloted new systemic approaches to agri-food production by developing new techniques, tools and insights, and aimed to take these innovations Europe-wide. 

Specifically, the project explored more efficient use of resources across fruit and vegetable (F&V) value chains, along with cutting the amount of plastic and food waste, while also aiming to increase the shelf life of minimally processed foods such as bagged salads.

“The success of CO-FRESH is based on the holistic approach to F&V value chains, helping actors along the chain to work together more effectively,” adds Echeverría. “The seven pilot cases remain a living example of how to apply innovations.” 

Transforming challenges into opportunities 

CO-FRESH brought about better cooperation between many partners in Europe’s F&V value chain, and held a series of meetings which brought together industry professionals to harness a broad range of knowledge and ideas. 

Through these workshops, the potential impact, feasibility and level of innovation of over 200 proposed innovations were discussed, before a shortlist of 19 were selected to be used across the 7 pilot cases. 

“The co-creation methodology allowed the active participation of representatives from the entire supply chain of each of the seven pilot cases,” explains Echeverría. These pilot cases were run in France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, covering a range of farms producing fruit, salads, mushrooms, legumes and pork. 

Implementing innovation

Innovative approaches that the project successfully implemented include:

• using intelligent internet of things systems to reduce water consumption in small farms by optimising irrigation;
• developing low-processed plant-based foods from local crops;
• reducing plastic waste through the use of compostable bioplastics for food packaging. 

The team developed a new certification scheme to raise awareness and reduce the production of microplastics in the F&V supply chain, as well as a governance tool to integrate and coordinate stakeholders along short value chains. 

To spread their findings across Europe’s agri-food sector, CO-FRESH created over 20 videos available on YouTube, along with a final project video shown at an event in Brussels. The team gave presentations at over 120 fairs, conferences, workshops and meetings, and reached a broad spectrum of agri-food stakeholders.

Alongside this, the project led to over 100 published articles, CO-FRESH newsletters and short communications. Results from the project were also presented at several scientific conferences and meetings, with 10 open access scientific articles currently published and 4 more under review. 

Continued evolution 

The pilot studies will continue to implement the most successful innovations, some of which are already undergoing test phases with large markets to validate their real-world feasibility. The work will also continue through the strong community built by those working in the agri-food industry. 

CO-FRESH was also invited to participate in the 10th edition of the European Commission’s prestigious Innovation Radar Prize.

“Networking with sister projects (Ploutos, FAIRCHAIN, LOWINFOOD and FOODRUS) and participating in several joint events with decision makers and public authorities has strengthened our message, learnings and conclusions,” says Echeverría. “This collaboration will continue after the project by means of CO-FRESH partners participating in networks, projects and dissemination events.” 

At the heart of the ULTIMATE project is a clear vision: to transform how Europe manages its water resources and encourage the idea that wastewater is a valuable asset. The goal is less environmental contamination from wastewater, alongside increased savings and revenue for industries including petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, distilleries and food processing. The idea is crucial for building a truly circular economy, reducing the need to extract natural resources.

As Gerard van den Berg, innovation and valorisation manager at the KWR Water Research Institute and coordinator of the project, explains: “Our main goal is to reuse and recover water, energy and valuable materials that can be extracted from wastewater, such as nutrients for use in agriculture.” 

The project team demonstrated the practical impact of this through nine high-profile industrial use cases in Europe and beyond. With these pilots, new techniques were developed to reduce groundwater usage, clean wastewater and use wastewater as a source of bioenergy and useful nutrients. “We selected use cases based on their potential for investment in full-scale applications,” van den Berg explains. At a whisky distillery in the United Kingdom, the project team showcased a process that makes it possible to recycle water and recover energy and raw materials. 

Over 20 technologies were developed and tested during the project. A standout innovation is the Electrostimulated Anaerobic Reactor (ELSAR™), a bioelectrical process that combines anaerobic digestion with wastewater treatment. Piloted at the Mahou San Miguel brewery in Spain, ELSAR™ offers an effective way to treat wastewater with high organic loads, reducing its environmental impact.

Another key technology is the SubCritical Water Extraction (SCWE) process, designed to recover high-value compounds such as antioxidants from wastewater. Demonstrated at food processing plants in Greece and Israel, this technology showcases the potential for wastewater to provide both economic and environmental benefits.

Innovation and collaboration 

The ULTIMATE project brought together diverse groups, including industrial partners, water utilities, policymakers and the general public. Van den Berg describes this engagement model as essential to success: “ULTIMATE developed living labs, communities of practice and co-creation methods throughout the project.” By using these platforms, ULTIMATE ensured that the process was collaborative at each stage, from problem definition to solution development and implementation.

A unique tool that ULTIMATE used was the “immersive narrative experience,” designed to engage local people in the project’s case study locations. This method of communication helped to “stimulate the needs and interest of citizens,” demonstrating the project’s relevance to local communities as well as industry experts. Such inclusive practices have increased understanding and acceptance of water-smart industrial symbiosis’ (WSIS) as a viable, long-term solution for industries and municipalities alike.

The project is being carried out in close connection with policymakers as well, says van den Berg, “to ensure that the latest insights and experiences may be included in new policy and guidance documents.”

A blueprint for the future

ULTIMATE has now laid the groundwork for the widespread adoption of WSIS technologies and models. One key platform for disseminating the project’s results is the Water Europe Marketplace and Technology Evidence Base. This digital repository collects data from ULTIMATE and other circular economy projects, providing resources, case studies and technological solutions for future initiatives.

The long-term benefits of ULTIMATE extend beyond the life of the project. Partnerships formed during the project are already leading to new projects, such as BOOST-IN and CIRSEAU, aimed at accelerating Europe’s transition to a circular economy. As van den Berg highlights: “Several commercial partners have already started to commercialise products developed within ULTIMATE, such as ELSAR™ and the SCWE process.”

By bridging the gap between water utilities and industries, ULTIMATE demonstrates how symbiotic relationships can drive sustainability, reduce resource use and enhance Europe’s environmental resilience.