A research and innovation initiative titled Oliwa, Repurposing Olive Waste in circular economy solutions for feeds, additives, packaging, and biogas, has been launched to convert olive by-products into valuable co-products. The project is built on circular economy and zero-waste principles and aims to establish sustainable value chains across six Mediterranean countries. Its core objective is to enable the sustainable repurposing of olive waste into applications in animal feeds, functional ingredients, packaging, and biogas. Through a combination of research and real-world demonstrations, the consortium intends to validate the technical and environmental feasibility of these solutions, with the goal of reducing impacts while opening new economic opportunities tied to the olive value chain.
The consortium brings together expertise from multiple disciplines relevant to materials, feed, energy and packaging. In packaging, the plan includes the development of materials derived from olive waste and insect-based components to improve food preservation and reduce losses. The project also addresses energy valorization through biogas production from olive waste and animal or insect manure. By integrating these pathways, Oliwa targets a minimum 25 percent reduction in food losses and waste, supporting broader sustainability objectives and the resilience of the Mediterranean agri-food sector. The project is funded under the Prima Programme.
The initiative is coordinated by the University of Torino in Italy. Partners come from Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, and Tunisia. Among them, Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre, contributes know-how in sustainable materials and packaging solutions, focusing on processing and validation steps required to bring olive waste-based packaging concepts to demonstrator level.
Scope and consortium
Oliwa comprises 25 partners spanning academia, research and industry across six Mediterranean countries. The consortium structure is designed to cover the full chain from feedstock sourcing and pre-processing, through materials development and packaging prototypes, to feed and energy applications. Coordination by the University of Torino provides a framework for piloting technologies and assessing feasibility in realistic conditions.
Applications under study
The research program addresses multiple valorization routes for olive by-products. These include the use of olive substrates in insect rearing to obtain high-quality insect meals for animal feed, and the development of natural olive extracts as feed additives and functional ingredients. In packaging, the project targets sustainable materials derived from olive waste and insect-based components, with the intent to enhance food preservation and reduce losses. Energy valorization is also in scope, with biogas production from olive waste and animal or insect manure evaluated as an alternative energy source.
Aimplas tasks in packaging
Aimplas will study the processability of materials derived from olive waste using conventional technologies, with a focus on extrusion to obtain rigid packaging prototypes. The work plan includes the development of beverage bottle and food tray prototypes and the validation of their functionality. In addition, Aimplas will evaluate the heat-sealing capability of films produced from olive waste for use as lids for trays. These activities are intended to demonstrate technical viability and support the transition from laboratory-scale materials to application-oriented demonstrators.
Expected outcomes
By combining materials development, feed applications and energy recovery, Oliwa aims to deliver a measurable reduction of at least 25 percent in food losses and waste. The project aligns with regional sustainability goals by converting agricultural residues into higher value products and energy, while reinforcing resilience in the Mediterranean agri-food system. Funding through the Prima Programme underpins the project’s objective to foster a circular economic model for the olive sector and create pathways for scalable deployment.
