CONICET scientists lead international project to measure industrial crop environmental footprints

Scientists from CONICET’s Technological Institute of Chascomús (INTECh) are leading the Latin American coordination for SUSTAINCrop, an international project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program. The initiative aims to design and validate a digital tool to measure the environmental footprint of industrial crops used in the bioeconomy.

Unlike crops for direct human consumption, these plants serve as renewable raw materials for producing plastics, fibers, and chemicals, aiming to replace fossil-based inputs and reduce global carbon emissions. The project seeks to provide precise data to farmers, companies, and policymakers to improve decision-making regarding the sustainability of biomaterials.

Global coordination is managed by the Hungarian consultancy INNOMINE, with participation from organizations in Denmark, Greece, Germany, Belgium, and Spain. Within Latin America, INTECh will host the Knowledge Group coordination, working alongside the University of San Pablo in Guatemala and the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga in Colombia to establish a regional cooperation network.