Objectives & Expected Impact
From food-processing waste to sustainable fiber solutions
Food-processing by-products contain valuable fiber fractions, yet many remain discarded or underused because information about their composition, extraction, performance, environmental impact and commercial potential is fragmented.
ENFiber connects researchers, industry representatives and policymakers to address these barriers. Through seven coordinated Working Groups, the Action aims to build the scientific knowledge, shared approaches, professional capacity and cross-sector collaboration needed to investigate and assess scalable pathways for valorising promising food-processing by-products as fiber sources. This includes evaluating extraction performance, environmental and economic sustainability, regulatory requirements and potential routes towards commercially viable applications.
Our Objectives
Identify promising fiber sources
Map and assess fiber-rich food-processing by-products and determine their suitability for further extraction, characterization and product development.
Advance sustainable extraction methods
Develop and optimize innovative, resource-efficient and scalable extraction methods that maximize fiber yield and quality while reducing environmental impact.
Improve characterization and standardization
Apply advanced and non-destructive analytical approaches to understand fiber composition, structure, functionality and performance, while supporting more comparable and standardized methods across the network.
Support sustainability, regulation and scale-up
Assess environmental performance, processing feasibility, regulatory requirements and commercialization pathways so that scientific developments can progress towards responsible industrial application.
Enable product development and knowledge exchange
Connect extracted fibers with potential applications in areas such as food, pharmaceutical and packaging products, while strengthening expertise through Training Schools, Short-Term Scientific Missions, Virtual Mobility Grants and industry–academic collaboration.
Expected Impact
Scientific and technological impact
ENFiber will strengthen the knowledge base for recovering and using fibers from food-processing by-products. Shared methodologies, comparative data and interdisciplinary collaboration will help improve the reliability, reproducibility and scalability of research across the field.
Environmental impact
By promoting the productive use of underused by-products, the Action supports waste reduction, resource efficiency and circular bioeconomy approaches. Its work aims to contribute to more sustainable food systems and to reduce the environmental burden associated with food-processing waste.
Industrial and policy impact
Closer interaction between researchers, industry representatives and policymakers will help align research with market needs, regulatory frameworks and practical scale-up requirements. The Action aims to support new fiber-based products, market-oriented technologies and evidence-informed regulatory recommendations.
People and network impact
ENFiber will create opportunities for researchers and innovators to exchange knowledge, build new skills and develop long-term collaborations across countries, disciplines and sectors. Particular attention will be given to young researchers and innovators, participants from Inclusiveness Target Countries and professionals seeking greater international and interdisciplinary engagement.
Turning shared knowledge into lasting value
ENFiber’s long-term ambition is to establish a connected European research and innovation community capable of translating food-processing waste into sustainable fibers, useful products and lasting environmental, economic and societal benefits.