Overview of novel recycling technologies of plastic for food contact materials

The opportunity presented is a pre-information notice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regarding a future negotiated procedure for a service contract. This contract will focus on gathering a comprehensive overview and understanding of novel recycling technologies for plastic used in food contact materials, responding to requirements set out in Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616.

Eligible applicants include individual physical persons and organizations or private companies with proven expertise. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of experience in plastic recycling technologies and either five years of experience in conducting systematic literature reviews or three years in market studies. Experience in recycling plastic for food contact materials is a valuable additional qualification.

The contract is expected to be low to middle-value, although no specific funding amounts are disclosed. The anticipated duration of the contract is twelve months. This will be a two-stage application process starting with an expression of interest, which must be electronically submitted by February 4, 2026. The indicative date for launching the actual negotiated procedure is February 20, 2026.

The objectives of the contract include executing a systematic literature search, including patents and technical reports, and conducting a market study to uncover the latest technologies and assess their implementation across the EU. This research phase is crucial for EFSA to understand current technologies and to evaluate their suitability for producing safe recycled plastic food contact materials.

The procuring authority is EFSA, classified under the CPV code 73210000, which pertains to research and development services in natural sciences and engineering. No co-funding requirements have been indicated, positioning the project as wholly EU-funded.

In summary, this opportunity encourages interested parties with relevant expertise to express their interest in participating in a forthcoming procurement procedure, with an emphasis on understanding and evaluating the safety of new recycling technologies for the food industry. This initiative will potentially shape future regulatory frameworks related to food safety and environmental sustainability within the EU.

This is a pre-information notice, announcing the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) intention to publish a future negotiated procedure for a low or middle value contract. This is not a call for tenders. The procedure identifier is EFSA/2026/MVP/0007-EXA. The subject of the planned call for tenders is an overview of novel recycling technologies of plastic for food contact materials.

The background to this is Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, which mandates EFSA to assess the suitability of novel recycling technologies for the production of recycled plastic food contact materials and articles. If individual evaluation of each recycling process is necessary, EFSA should publish specific guidance describing the scientific evaluation criteria that will be used to evaluate the decontamination processes. Before establishing how to assess those technologies, EFSA needs to understand the types of technologies that are currently being developed and establish data quality/validity criteria as well as identify possible data gaps.

The objective of this contract is to gather a comprehensive overview and a thorough understanding of novel recycling technologies currently developed or under development in the EU. To achieve this objective, EFSA intends to: a) carry out a systematic literature search including patents and technical reports for each of the technologies; b) carry out a market study showing the most recent technologies and the extent of their use.

The requirements for interested parties are:
Requirement 1: At least 3 years’ experience in the field of plastic recycling technologies. Experience in the recycling of plastic for food contact materials and decontamination of recycled plastic will be considered as a plus.
Requirement 2: At least 5 years’ experience in comprehensive literature search and or systematic literature reviews.
Requirement 3: At least 3 years’ experience in carrying out market studies.
As for Requirements 2 and 3, at least one must be fulfilled.

If you are interested in this procedure, specify the following: your name/organisation’s name and address; whether you participate as a physical person or an organisation/private company.

The procedure type is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract. The estimated total value is not specified. The lead contracting authority is the European Food Safety Authority. The main classification (CPV) code is 73210000, which refers to research consultancy services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 12 months. There is no framework agreement.

The start date for expression of interest is 2026-01-19 in Europe/Brussels time. The deadline for expression of interest is 04/02/2026 at 05:59 in Europe/Rome time. The indicative date of launch of the negotiated procedure is 2026-02-20 in Europe/Rome time.

The method of expression of interest is electronic. Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given below.

A frequently asked question is: Where can I find the procurement documents for calls for tenders with ‘ExA' in the reference? The answer is: References that feature an ‘ExA’ are not calls for tenders. They are a publication announcing the contracting authority’s intent to launch in the future a low or middle negotiated procedure.

In summary, this is a pre-information notice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regarding a future contract opportunity. EFSA plans to launch a negotiated procedure to obtain a comprehensive overview of novel plastic recycling technologies in the EU, particularly those related to food contact materials. The goal is to understand the current state of these technologies, identify data gaps, and establish criteria for evaluating their suitability. Interested parties are invited to express their interest, demonstrating experience in plastic recycling, literature reviews, and market studies. This is not a call for tenders yet, but a preliminary announcement to gauge interest and prepare for the future launch of the negotiated procedure. The project aims to support EFSA's regulatory responsibilities related to the safety of recycled plastic used in food packaging.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to both physical persons and organizations/private companies.

Funding Type: This is a planned negotiated procedure for a middle/low value contract, indicating a procurement or service contract.

Consortium Requirement: The information suggests that both single applicants and organizations can apply, but it does not explicitly exclude or require a consortium. Therefore, it could be either single or consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The objective is to gather information on novel recycling technologies developed or under development in the EU, suggesting that the geographic eligibility is focused on the EU.

Target Sector: The program targets the recycling of plastic, specifically novel recycling technologies for plastic food contact materials. It also involves research consultancy services.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The project focuses on gathering a comprehensive overview and understanding of novel recycling technologies currently developed or under development, suggesting a stage of research and development.

Funding Amount: The opportunity is described as a "middle/low value contract," but the estimated total value is not specified. Therefore, the funding amount is variable.

Application Type: The application type is a planned negotiated procedure, with an electronic method of expression of interest.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services.

Application Stages: The application stages include expressing interest and then participating in a negotiated procedure, suggesting at least two stages.

Success Rates: There is no information about success rates.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no information about a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a pre-announcement of a future negotiated procurement procedure by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The procedure, identified as EFSA/2026/MVP/0007-EXA, aims to gather a comprehensive overview and understanding of novel recycling technologies for plastic food contact materials currently being developed or under development in the EU. This initiative is driven by Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, which mandates EFSA to assess the suitability of such technologies.

The specific objectives include conducting a systematic literature search (including patents and technical reports) and a market study to identify the most recent technologies and their extent of use.

To be eligible, interested parties (both individuals and organizations) must demonstrate:

1. At least 3 years’ experience in the field of plastic recycling technologies (experience in recycling plastic for food contact materials and decontamination of recycled plastic is a plus).
2. At least 5 years’ experience in comprehensive literature search and/or systematic literature reviews.
3. At least 3 years’ experience in carrying out market studies.

Note that at least one of requirements 2 and 3 must be fulfilled.

The maximum contract duration is 12 months. The start date for expressing interest is January 19, 2026, and the deadline for expressing interest is February 4, 2026. The indicative date for launching the negotiated procedure is February 20, 2026. The expression of interest must be submitted electronically. This is not a call for tenders, but rather a publication announcing EFSA's intention to launch a negotiated procedure in the future.