Ecohelix secures EU LIFE grant for bio-based polymer project

Swedish biotech company Ecohelix has received a grant worth €2.2 million (US$2.5 million) from the L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement (LIFE) Programme — the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action — to accelerate the market readiness of its product for packaging applications.

The grant will support the company’s LIFE Woodmer project. Launched this month, the 36-month initiative will focus on bringing Ecohelix’s patented Woodmer Seal — a bio-based heat seal coating solution — to market. The funding will enable the company to add formulation capabilities to its demonstration production.

“We are excited to collaborate with three key European commercial partners from Sweden, Italy, and Finland on this journey. This collaborative approach will be vital for the future replication and scaling of our technology across Europe and beyond,” says Ecohelix.

“This EU LIFE funding underscores the potential of Ecohelix’s technology to address critical sustainability challenges and aligns perfectly with the EU Green Deal’s objectives. We look forward to sharing our progress and achievements as the LIFE Woodmer project unfolds.”

The LIFE Woodmer project aimed to use a sustainable, wood-based alternative in packaging to fossil- and food-derived polymers as well as PFAS chemicals.

Woodmer is derived from neglected side streams of the pulp industry. The project aims to reduce CO2 emissions by transforming them into “high-value, high-performing biopolymers.” According to the company, the resulting material is safe for human contact and locally abundant within the EU.

This latest support builds on Ecohelix’s continuous collaboration with the EU. The company participated in a previous EU-funded project to develop fully bio-based chemicals produced from renewable raw materials. In this project, Ecohelix provided and operated the demonstration unit.