Improving circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging

This summary outlines the Horizon Europe grant opportunity titled "Improving Circularity of Multilayer Flexible Plastic Food Contact Packaging" under the code HORIZON-CL6. The funding initiative focuses on enhancing the circular economy aspect of food packaging through innovative recycling solutions, targeting multilayer flexible plastic materials that are often difficult to recycle. The total budget for this opportunity is €11,000,000 for 2026, with expectations to issue two significant grants ranging from €5,000,000 to €6,000,000 each. Eligible applicants include a diverse range of stakeholders such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large companies, waste management organizations, and others involved in the food packaging value chain. The call for applications is single-stage, requiring a complete proposal submitted by September 17, 2026, after the call opens on April 17, 2026. The awarded grants will be disbursed as lump sums, meaning that the financial management will not be based on actual costs but instead will be a fixed amount predetermined within the grant agreement. The project aims to demonstrate effective industrial-scale recycling technologies, improve eco-design of packaging, and develop digital solutions such as digital product passports or AI technologies to enhance sorting processes. Collaboration is key, with proposals expected to involve a comprehensive engagement of various value chain actors, ensuring multiple disciplines and stakeholders are represented in the projects. Expectations include not only practical recycling demonstrations but also meeting stringent food safety regulations regarding food contact applications. Moreover, while specific success rates for this particular call are not outlined, past similar initiatives have seen success rates ranging between 10% to 39%. The opportunity is part of a broader agenda to support the European Green Deal and the associated regulations on packaging and waste. Overall, this call seeks innovative solutions that can significantly enhance the sustainability of food packaging while addressing complex challenges in recycling processes and compliance with EU regulations.

This is a summary of multiple Horizon Europe (HORIZON) calls for proposals under the Call 01 - single stage (2026) (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01). The calls are for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). The planned opening date for all calls is April 17, 2026, and the deadline is September 17, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. All eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

The specific topics and their respective budgets and indicative number of grants are as follows:

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €13,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €18,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €13,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €12,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions:Budget €11,000,000, contributions from 5,000,000 to €6,000,000, 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-02 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions:Budget €11,000,000, contributions from 5,000,000 to €6,000,000, 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-04 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €6,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-06 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions:Budget €3,000,000, around 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €12,000,000, around 3 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-08 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €8,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-09 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €12,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-10 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €8,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-11 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €10,000,000, around 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions:Budget €11,000,000, contributions from 5,000,000 to €6,000,000, 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions:Budget €12,000,000, around 2 grants.

Improving circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging:HORIZON-CL6

The expected outcomes of the HORIZON-CL6 call are:

Environment and society at large benefit from recyclable food packaging which can be recycled and reused back into food packaging while keeping the quality, value and extending the material lifetime.

Industrial value chains including primary and secondary raw material producers, polymer suppliers, additives suppliers, converters, brand owners and retailers (SMEs and large companies), agri-food suppliers, waste managers and recyclers introduce sustainable food packaging on the market through enhanced design for recycling and solutions for effective sorting and recycling on an industrial scale, in line with the safe-and-sustainable-by-design principles.

Consumers and civil society are sufficiently informed about appropriate ways of disposal of used food packaging to enable its circularity.

The scope of the HORIZON-CL6 call is:

Plastic food packaging represents a significant part of all plastic packaging put on the EU market. Flexible films composed of multiple layers are commonly difficult to recycle. And to date, there is no market at scale for closing the loop and establish recycling systems from food contact back to food contact application. Despite the advancement of several solutions, there is a need to improve the efficiency of recycling solutions and reach as high as possible yield of food contact compliant recycled plastic coming from post-consumer packaging films.

Proposals should:

Advance marketable solutions towards mono-material multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging to enable its effective end-of-life collection, sorting and recycling into food contact-compliant recycled plastic suitable for food packaging.

Improve eco-design of multilayer plastic food packaging and demonstrate at large scale digital solutions for circularity such as digital product passport.

Demonstrate individual and/or a combination of physical technologies and digital solutions (for example, AI, watermarking, or others) to further improve sorting yield of multilayer flexible packaging.

Test and demonstrate recycling technologies (separation, purification, decontamination, etc.) enabling uptake of food contact compliant recycled plastic into food contact packaging in line with the targets of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

Demonstrate pathways to increase the recycled content of food contact compliant recycled plastic in new food packaging products.

Demonstrate solutions on an industrial scale involving the whole value chain, while ensuring compliance with relevant food contact regulations (Regulation 2022/1616 and Regulation 1935/2004).

Proposals should also evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness and impact of the demonstrated solutions using robust evaluation methods (including lifecycle assessments such as product environmental footprint, where relevant) and present data and evidence about the economic, environmental and social costs and benefits of the developed solutions.

Engagement of all relevant value chain stakeholders is expected, i.e. primary and secondary raw material producers, polymer suppliers, additives suppliers, converters, agri-food suppliers, brand owners and retailers (SMEs and large companies), waste managers and recyclers. Clustering with other relevant Horizon Europe projects is encouraged.

The topic supports the European Green Deal, the Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, the Single Use Plastics Directive, the Waste Shipment Regulation, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and its working plan, the Regulation for recycling of plastic intended for contact with food, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and the upcoming Circular Economy Act and contributes to Europe’s efforts to develop a single market for sustainable products.

General conditions for all calls include:

Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific provisions for funding.

Other Eligible Conditions described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission and evaluation processes described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants:Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA).

Guidance:HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA):Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions:Detailed budget table (HE LS), Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

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In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting research and innovation in the areas of biodiversity, circular bioeconomy, and zero pollution. Specifically, it addresses the challenge of improving the circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging. The call encourages proposals that advance marketable solutions, improve eco-design, demonstrate digital solutions for circularity, test recycling technologies, and increase the recycled content of food packaging. The call also emphasizes the importance of engaging relevant value chain stakeholders and clustering with other Horizon Europe projects. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the European Green Deal and create a single market for sustainable products.

The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and expected outcomes. These topics cover a range of activities, from research and innovation actions to innovation actions and coordination and support actions. The funding mechanism is based on lump sum grants, and the submission process is single-stage.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the various guidance documents and support services provided by the European Commission to ensure that their proposals are aligned with the call requirements and have a high chance of success.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types include primary and secondary raw material producers, polymer suppliers, additives suppliers, converters, agri-food suppliers, brand owners and retailers (SMEs and large companies), waste managers and recyclers. The call is open to a wide range of stakeholders across the value chain.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity encourages engagement of all relevant value chain stakeholders, implying that a consortium is preferred, although not explicitly stated as mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:The target sectors are circular bioeconomy, food, agriculture, environment, cleantech, and innovation, with a focus on plastic food packaging, recycling technologies, and digital solutions for circularity. The specific technologies mentioned include AI and watermarking.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity is focused on the European Union, and mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage:The project stage is demonstration and validation, with an emphasis on advancing marketable solutions and demonstrating solutions on an industrial scale. The projects should test and demonstrate recycling technologies.

Funding Amount:The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL6 is €11,000,000, with an indicative contribution of €5,000,000 to €6,000,000 per grant.

Application Type:The application type is a single-stage call, meaning applicants submit a full proposal at once.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to cover eligible costs.

Application Stages:The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants is 2 for the topic HORIZON-CL6, which can be used to estimate the success rate based on the number of expected proposals.

Co-funding Requirement:The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned, but applicants should evaluate the economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of the developed solutions, which may imply some level of investment from the applicants.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL6 aims to improve the circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging. The call seeks proposals that advance marketable solutions for recycling plastic food packaging back into food contact applications. It encourages projects that improve eco-design, demonstrate digital solutions for circularity (like digital product passports), and test recycling technologies. The call is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including SMEs and large companies, and supports the European Green Deal and related regulations. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with a budget of €11,000,000 for the topic and an indicative contribution of €5,000,000 to €6,000,000 per grant. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 17, 2026. The projects should demonstrate solutions on an industrial scale and evaluate their economic, environmental, and social impacts. This call is about making food packaging more sustainable by finding better ways to recycle it and reuse it, aligning with EU's green initiatives. It is aimed at organizations involved in the food and packaging industries, encouraging them to come up with innovative solutions for a circular economy.