GIANT LEAPS Policy Brief 9 Circularity in alternative protein production

The GIANT LEAPS project assessed circularity potentials of alternative protein sources, revealing untapped potential in valorising biowaste into nutrient-retaining feedstocks, which can reduce GHG emissions, land use, and import dependency while fostering resilient regional value chains. This policy paper, initiated by the Horizon Europe GIANT LEAPS project (grant no. 101059632) and informed by alternative protein producers and the GIANT LEAPS sustainability and circularity assessments, offers three recommendations: (1) incentivise transparent circularity assessments with nutrient metrics and open data platforms; (2) support eco-design and regional waste to-protein partnerships; (3) enable tiered, risk-proportionate innovation for new substrates via streamlined authorisations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23666045
Primary Topic
Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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GIANT LEAPS Policy Brief 9 Circularity in alternative protein production

Birgir Örn Smárason, Beatriz Queiroz Silva, Sergiy M. Smetana, Jakob Lewin Rukov et al.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
article

GIANT LEAPS Policy Brief 9 Circularity in alternative protein production

Birgir Örn Smárason, Beatriz Queiroz Silva, Sergiy M. Smetana, Jakob Lewin Rukov, Lais Galileu Speranza, Edward L. Sliwinski, H.J. van der Fels‐Klerx, Gloria Bevilacqua, Hans Verhagen, Laura Malinauskaitė, Jasper L. van Puffelen, Arjan Paul Vos, Andrea Seleljova
article en

Abstract

The GIANT LEAPS project assessed circularity potentials of alternative protein sources, revealing untapped potential in valorising biowaste into nutrient-retaining feedstocks, which can reduce GHG emissions, land use, and import dependency while fostering resilient regional value chains. This policy paper, initiated by the Horizon Europe GIANT LEAPS project (grant no. 101059632) and informed by alternative protein producers and the GIANT LEAPS sustainability and circularity assessments, offers three recommendations: (1) incentivise transparent circularity assessments with nutrient metrics and open data platforms; (2) support eco-design and regional waste to-protein partnerships; (3) enable tiered, risk-proportionate innovation for new substrates via streamlined authorisations.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (US), University of Iceland (IS), German Institute of Food Technologies (DE), European Federation of Food Science and Technology (NL), Matís (Iceland) (IS), Europa Media (Hungary) (HU), GreenCoLab (PT), Wageningen University & Research (NL)
European Commission
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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