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Knowledge category: Projects

Multi-assessment of alternative fertilisers for promoting local sustainable value chains and clean ecosystems

Updated on 23.05.2023

The FER-PLAY project is a comprehensive approach to gather, harmonise, select and complement the knowledge on alternative fertiliser value chains and diffuse it to promote the wide-scale production and application of alternative fertilisers with best environmental, social and economic performance as well as technical and regulatory viability.

Acronym: FER-PLAY
Countries: Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Germany
Project website: fer-play.eu
Start and end date: 01.09.2022 - 28.02.2025
Budget: 1 999 750 EUR
Funding source: Horizon Europe

More information

Fertilisers are important for feeding the world’s growing population. However, conventional fertilisers threaten the environment (e.g. eutrophication caused by nutrient leaching) and the sustainability of Europe’s food system, which depends on imports from third countries. By 2030, the EU is committed to reducing the use of conventional fertilisers by 20 % and nutrient losses by 50 %. Fertilisers made from secondary raw materials like biowaste, sewage sludge and manure can help achieve these EU targets. However, their wide scale deployment is hindered by lack of awareness about alternative fertilisation, concerns regarding their technical viability and the disparity of legislations that creates a state of uncertainty.


FER-PLAY employs a unique methodology for mapping the value chains, selects the most promising ones and assesses their impacts. FER-PLAY engages key stakeholders in co-creation of results and broadly disseminates them.


The consortium gathers key players from the whole value chain: 1) alternative fertiliser producers from all the main types of secondary raw materials (producers of digestate – 183 members, of compost – 120 members and of struvite); 2) entities representing conventional (1.5 million members), organic (100 000 members) and young (200 000 members) farmers; and (3) a Pan-European network with over 100 members representing public administrations, supported by waste valorisation and agriculture research institutes, market strategists and communication experts.

Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions

The FER-PLAY project aims to map and select alternative fertiliser value chains, assess the impacts of seven selected value chains, co-create dissemination and assessment guidelines with multiple stakeholders, and finally raise awareness and influence policy. The project is of high relevance for cities and regions that are working on a Circular Systemic Solution that focuses on circular bioeconomy and are interested in alternative fertilisers, which can potentially mitigate GHG emissions and improve resource independence.

Horizon programme(s) and/or topic(s)

Programme:

 

  • HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment


Topic:

 

  • HORIZON-CL6-2021-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-09 - Environmental impacts and trade-offs of alternative fertilising products at global/local scale.

Responsible organisation and contact details

ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DE LA ENERGIA Y DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE DE LA REGION DE MURCIA


Contact the project: https://fer-play.eu/contact/

Project consortium partners

CONSORZIO ITALIANO COMPOSTATORI, EUROPEAN BIOGAS ASSOCIATION AISBL, NUTRIENTS RECOVERY SYSTEMS; INAGRO, PROVINCIAAL EXTERN VERZELFSTANDIGD AGENTSCHAP IN PRIVAATRECHTELIJKE VORM VZW, FUNDACION CENTRO GALLEGO DE INVESTIGACIONES DEL AGUA, DRAXIS ENVIRONMENTAL SA, REVOLVE PLANET, ASSOCIATION OF CITIES AND REGIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, CONFEDERAZIONE NAZIONALE COLDIRETTI, NATURLAND - VERBAND FUR OKOLOGISCHEN LANDBAU EV, ASOCIACIÓN AGRARIA DE JÓVENES AGRICULTORES

Sectors

CEAP2 key product value chain

CEAP2 key product value chain

CEAP2 key product value chain

e.g. chemicals, cosmetics, bio-based industries

e.g. B2B services

e.g. healthcare

including bio-based economy

Territories involved

large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000

large metropolitan area >1.5 million, metropolitan area 1.5 million-500 000

predominantly urban regions, intermediate and predominantly rural regions, refer to TERCET typology NUTS 3 region