The EcoeFISHent research project, co-funded under the Horizon 2020 framework program, aimed at developing upcycling and Blue Economy in the seafood supply chain, is born in Genoa. (1)
The mission is to valorize co-products and scraps in different production areas, introduce reusable boxes for catch, recover and recycle fishing material.
Innovation can cut down food waste upstream of distribution(food loss), reduce the environmental impact of fishing, and also create new economic and job opportunities. (2)
EcoeFISHent and Blue Economy
34 partners from 7 countries – including 5 EU member states (Italy, Spain, Norway, Bulgaria and France), one country associated with the H2020 program (Israel) and one non-EU country (Kenya) – are participating in the consortium EcoeFISHent, established in Genoa under the leadership of FI.L.S.E. (Finanziaria Ligure per lo Sviluppo Economico) S.p.A.
‘Blue economy is the concept of using ocean resources in a way that respects the environment can evaluate how both business activity models and new technologies satisfy economic and environmental conditions, contributing to the sustainability of these resources.’ (3)
The project, launched on 1.10.21, aims to safeguard marine ecosystems and reduce waste through technological innovation. Experimentation in pilot plants, analytical validation of outputs and verification of reproducibility, will be followed by the development of best practices to be shared with relevant social partners and applied in the different sectors of the supply chain.
1) Upcycling in the fish supply chain.
Fish processing generates numerous side streams and rejects (e.g., skin, head, entrails), which reach 60-70% of the processed materials and are, however, largely destined for waste, with a smaller share going to secondary productions (e.g., fish processing. aquaculture feed, pet food).
Innovative extraction processes enable numerous bioactive substances (e.g., oils, peptides, proteins, enzymes, minerals. As well as collagen and gelatin) to be obtained from these streams and wastes, which can be valorized in various fields. (4) First and foremost, functional foods and food supplements (nutraceuticals), drugs and cosmetics.
The extraction residues in turn will be enhanced to produce fertilizer for agricultural use, biodiesel and chitin. Thanks to a bioconversion process using the larvae of the soldier ant(Hermetia illucens), which are also already used as feed materials.
2) Marine litter
Marine litter
, or marin debris, is the totality of marine litter understood as man-made objects and materials that are thrown-or lost, or otherwise flowed-into the sea, rivers or beaches. They cause a wide range of environmental and economic as well as health and safety impacts(microplastics).
The continued increase in the use of plastic materials, often not properly disposed of subject to very slow degradation, has made the accumulation of marine litter, in the Mediterranean as elsewhere, unsustainable.
2.1) Reusable boxes for the catch.
Reusable fish transport boxes-as an alternative to (disposable) polystyrene boxes-will be produced and tested, as part of the EcoeFISHent project. Using a material intended for food contact (MOCA), which is already patented, biodegradable and compostable (through biodigesters).
2.2) Recovery and recycling of nets and fishing lines.
Abandoned fishing nets and lines in the sea, known as Ghost Fishing (the ‘ghosts of fishing’), are themselves players in marine litter. And the abandonment of fishing tools at sea or on the coast, when they are no longer found to be usable, is mainly attributed to the lack of facilities and/or incentives for their collection. (5)
The partners in the EcoeFISHent project are therefore also working on the development of a model plant for the recovery and recycling of fishing materials, from which it is possible to make a variety of consumer items, from packaging for cosmetic products to car seat belts. Reuse can therefore save our lives.
3) Reduction of fishery waste
EcoeFISHent
also aspires to reduce fishery waste. That is, those fish, the subject of unintentional capture, which are often released into the water with unnecessary damage to the ecosystem and waste of fish resources.
The innovation here relates to the development of more selective fishing tools and systems for the specific purpose of reducing the harvest of unwanted species. Such tools will be tested in the Ligurian Sea with the red shrimp fishery.
4) Knowledge sharing, social impact
Involving fishing companies and processing industries (such as Generale Conserve, owner of AsDoMar, which also participates in the EcoeFISHent project) is essential to demonstrate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the innovation. On this basis, it is possible to share knowledge and results, in a knowledge sharing perspective, which goes beyond the traditional knowledge transfer perspective, through:
– publication of data (outside of those covered by trade secrets related to patents or exclusive authorizations),
– best practice manuals and training, aimed at fostering the application of innovations in different contexts.
In turn, the partner in Kenya will also be able to promote the development of new activities alongside traditional ones inLow and Middle-Income Countries(LMICs). In the hope of contributing to the improvement of local economy, incomes, food security (#SDG2).
5) Management system
The complexity of the various activities of the EcoeFISHent project suggests the adoption of ad hoc management systems. The data collected through instrumentation(Internet of Things, IoT) will then be processed with big data analytical tools and made accessible through an app.
A ‘digital twin’ of the project cluster will make it possible to preliminarily evaluate the implementation of the system and identify the most suitable parameters for its concrete implementation. In view of the effective continuous monitoring of processes and the consequent optimization of operational choices.
EcoeFISHent, perspectives
Five years of work will make it possible to fine-tune the activities described in the EcoeFISHent project. In a logic of Blue Economy, digitization and inclusion that is consistent with the goals of the
EU Green Deal
. And indeed, it aspires to demonstrate its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in one of the historic homelands of attention to savings, Liguria and its sea.
Our team at WIISE(Workable Ideas and Initiatives for a Sustainable Economy) S.r.l., a benefit company, is participating in the project to take care of its regulatory aspects, relations with stakeholders and authorities, data management and knowledge sharing (or dissemination).
#SDG12(sustainable production and consumption), #SDG13(climate action), #SDG14(live below water).
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Upcycling, ameliorative reuse in the food supply chain. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 6.10.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/upcycling-il-reimpiego-migliorativo-nella-filiera-agroalimentare
(2) European Commission. Demonstrable and replicable cluster implementing systemic solutions through multilevel circular value chains for eco-efficient valorization of fishing and fish industries side-streams (EcoeFISHent). CORDIS. 9/21/21, https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101036428
(3) Joroff M, (2009). The Blue Economy: Sustainable industrialization of the oceans [at] Proceedings. In International Symposium on Blue Economy Initiative for Green Growth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Korean Maritime Institute, Seoul, Korea, May 7, 2009, pp 173-181
(4) Välimaa et al. (2019). Fish and fish side streams are valuable sources of high-value components. Food Quality and Safety 3:209-226, https://doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyz024
(5) Thushari et al. (2020). Plastic pollution in the marine environment. Heliyon 6(8):e04709, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04709
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
