REDONDO, i.e., Reversibly Designed Cross-linked Polymers, is a Horizon Europe project that started in September 2022. REDONDO deals with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) and strategies to introduce recyclability in PEX products to improve their environmental footprint. The 12-months consortium meeting of REDONDO took place in Munich on the 26.09.2023. All partners of the consortium gathered to discuss the progress of the project during the last six months and the planned actions for the following semester.
Starting from WP1, presented by the coordinating partner, focus was given on the review meeting and the technical and financial reports that will have to be submitted at M18. In WP2, the submitted deliverable was presented as well as the updates that will be included in the next one. More technical discussions started with WP3, where both leading partners presented their first results regarding the synthesis of rPEX. Animated discussions took place in the framework of WP4, where not only targeted biobased nano-additives have been synthesised, but the first composite materials with these additives have already been prepared. The properties of the various composite materials were discussed, with SILON presenting the first results on flame retardancy which were much expected. Moving on to WP5, benchmark materials and processes were assessed and used for initial trials to establish protocols and best practices; these will be further extended to the REDONDO materials and additives in the coming months. The methodologies that will be applied to implement the safety aspects of the project were presented within the context of WP6. WP7 is the work package dedicated to sustainability and the different approaches that will be considered within the project were developed by each partner participating in it. Finally, the consortium meeting ended with the activities of WP8 and the presentation of the dissemination channels of the project, the Zenodo open access environment and how the datasets generated during the project will be uploaded there, the initial business plans and the SWOT analyses performed for the industrial partners of the project, and the results obtained from questionnaires regarding IP management.
Special mention was made by several partners to the synergies and collaborations that are being developed with the sister projects, i.e., the projects SURPASS, ESTELLA and REPURPOSE that were successful in the same Horizon call as REDONDO. A common workshop on the concept of safety and sustainability by design is being scheduled for the 19th of October, while the additives inventory has been identified as another common ground for potential collaboration between the four projects.
We are already looking forward to the next consortium meeting in 2024 that will be hosted by SILON and will be the opportunity to present to the EC the progress of the project and discuss any issues faced by the consortium.
Figure 1: REDONDO’s M12 Meeting attendees