Brewing residues as a starting point for circular plastics
Brewers’ spent grain is the main by-product of the brewing industry, and POLYMEER places this abundant side-stream at the centre of a new bio-based value chain for bioplastic products. The initiative aims to develop novel bio-based polymers, polymer blends and co-polymers using brewers’ spent grain as feedstock, linking food industry residues with material innovation.
This approach responds to a broader challenge: although bioplastics offer environmental benefits, they still represent only a small share of global plastic production. POLYMEER focuses on applications where existing bioplastics still need to improve in performance, recyclability and/or biodegradability, especially agriculture, tertiary packaging and automotive textiles.
From grain fractions to application-ready materials
The initiative starts with the fractionation of brewers’ spent grain into key biopolymers, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are then transformed into specific polymers and co-polymers through green, waste-minimised processes. These materials are further developed through blending, formulation and processing to create bioplastics suitable for three target applications: agricultural mulch films, tertiary packaging films and textiles for the automotive industry.
What makes POLYMEER relevant is the combination of feedstock valorisation and application-driven material design. Rather than treating brewing residues simply as waste, the initiative explores their potential as a source of higher-value materials. Its bioplastics are designed to be recyclable and/or biodegradable, while expected benefits include reduced reliance on finite fossil resources, lower production costs, enhanced economic sustainability and the creation of new markets.
The initiative’s target applications also make the work tangible. Agricultural mulch films require solutions that can support farming needs while reducing environmental burden; tertiary packaging films are relevant for industrial and brewery-related uses; and automotive textiles represent a more demanding application where bio-based materials must show performance as well as sustainability.
Why it matters for a stronger bioeconomy
POLYMEER shows how a major food industry side-stream can become a starting point for circular material innovation. By linking brewers’ spent grain with polymer design, green processing and application development, the initiative strengthens the case for bio-based plastics that are not only resource-efficient, but also relevant for real industrial value chains.
Its wider contribution is to demonstrate how waste-minimised processes and side-stream valorisation can support new bio-based alternatives in sectors still relying heavily on conventional plastics. In doing so, POLYMEER helps build critical mass around bio-based solutions that connect circularity, performance and market potential.
Initiative facts
Programme: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking under Horizon Europe.
Duration: 1 September 2024 – 31 August 2028.
Website: Home – Polymeer Project
