Pilots

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  FlyUp-Cycle: Creating sustainable closed food cycle with the star of insect farming - the Black Soldier Fly (BSF)

  Short Description The FlyUp-Cycle pilot demonstrates an innovative closed food cycle model in Slovenia, converting organic waste with Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae into high-quality insect protein and compost-like residues. This pilot aims to reduce food waste, create sustainable supply chains, and promote circular economy practices. By involving multiple stakeholders (supply-business support-demand), including local food producers, waste managers, and feed manufacturers, the project fosters collaboration and showcases the potential of insect farming for ecological and economic benefits. The primary objective is to develop and test a scalable closed food cycle that reduces food waste and enhances resource efficiency with the support of local partners. This includes:

  • Converting organic waste into sustainable product (insect protein). This cycle demonstrates efficient waste conversion (15–20 % biomass yield) and produces dried larvae as a high-protein alternative.
  • Establishing collaborative frameworks among stakeholders to promote circular economy practices.
  • Providing policy recommendations to enable the broader adoption of closed food cycles.

  Key activities of the pilot implementation are:

  • Technology performance: demonstrating the BSF lifecycle, waste conversion processes, and product preparation.
  • Stakeholder engagement: workshops, webinars, and interviews to align objectives and share best practices.
  • Capacity building: training sessions to educate stakeholders on the technology and circular economy principles.
  • Awareness-raising: promotional activities, highlighting environmental and economic benefits.
  • Policy development: collecting data and drafting recommendations based on pilot results.

  We have included the following stakeholders in the pilot:

  • Supply: bakery (old bread), brewery (spent grain), vegetable cultivation. (waste tomato fruit), agro-industrial plant (maize grits).
  • Demand: pet shops with reptiles, national terrariums and vivariums, research institutes.
  • Technology provider: Sole trader.
  • CEFoodCycle partners:
    • E-zavod: Coordinating the pilot's design and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and workshop facilitation.
    • BSC Kranj: Supporting local stakeholder mapping and identifying policy implications.
    • University of Applied Sciences Salzburg: Providing expertise in circular economy frameworks.
    • Cluster of Environmental Technologies Bavaria: Offering technical guidance for scaling and replication.

  The test phase will last one month. This period of time is needed to demonstrate the evolution of one life cycle of BSF on food and surplus waste and prepare the new product – animal feed. Dried larvae will be used as animal food for reptiles. Preliminary analysis identified possible challenges. To ensure optimal larval growth and maintain high conversion rates under variable substrate conditions, processing partner will utilize advanced BSF farming techniques, pre-tested with diverse organic waste substrates. Regulatory gaps for insect protein use in animal feed will be addressed through collaboration with policymakers to propose evidence-based guidelines.  

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  Resch & Frisch: Revalorising baked goods

  Short description The Austrian bakery Resch&Frisch operates a total of 22 bakery shops in Upper Austria and Salzburg and produces deep-frozen products for home-delivery and the out-of-home market in Austria and Germany. Around 15,000 tonnes of baked goods are produced (at the main production site in Gunskirchen) every year, the reject-rate amounts about 5 %. Whilst in other parts of Austria the transfer of surplus goods has already been organised (e.g. transfer to charitable organisations), this has not been realised for the shops in the Salzburg area.   Aims The aim is to find solutions both for substandard products on the one hand (stemming from production errors), and surplus food on the other hand (products that were not sold). Top priority being to reuse the food for human consumption, the establishment of new partnerships (co-operations to pass on food) will be explored. Since baked goods turn stale rather quickly, timing and logistics are expected to be the main challenges faced, both for production surpluses as well as for unsold goods from the shops. Waste sorting analyses in the Salzburg shops will provide baseline data to track progress made in the course of the piloting partnership. Moreover, the tool developed in the project, foodcycle.ai, will be tested.   CEFoodCycle project partner involvement The pilot Resch&Frisch will be supported from Fachhochschule Salzburg GmbH and Österreichisches Ökologie-Institut.

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  From Waste to Nourishment: An Innovative Circular Approach

  Objectives:  The project’s objectives include promoting sustainable practices by recycling unsellable food to nourish black soldier fly larvae, which in turn enhances the nutritional and protein content of eggs through the use of insect meal instead of traditional soymeal. It aims to support animal welfare by reducing stress and conflicts among hens through a more natural diet. Additionally, the project fosters a circular economy by transforming agricultural by-products into valuable resources, minimizing waste. It seeks to educate consumers about the traceability and benefits of sustainably produced eggs while providing farmers with a healthy, cost-effective alternative to conventional feed. Furthermore, the initiative promotes local production and commercialization of egg products derived from a sustainable supply chain, ultimately helping farmers reduce feed costs while increasing the commercial and qualitative value of their products.   Cycle Description/Partner Companies: The cycle involves establishing local Bugsfarms, which serve as organized networks for breeding black soldier flies. These farms play a crucial role in creating sustainable and participatory agro-industrial supply chains. Initially, the flies lay eggs, which hatch into larvae. These larvae are then fed a plant-based diet made from food waste for 14 days. During this period, the larvae can grow up to thirty times their initial volume, effectively converting the organic waste into valuable biomass. At the end of this bioconversion process, the larvae are classified as a raw material under European legislation, allowing them to be sold live or processed further. This cycle not only maximizes resource efficiency but also supports the local economy by integrating waste management with sustainable food production. Formal partner companies involved are BEF Biosystem and Fantolino, but other companies have been involved and they are:

  • Agricultural By-Product Suppliers: Companies that produce or manage food waste, such as fruit and vegetable processors, bakeries, or grocery chains, can provide the raw materials needed for feeding the larvae.
  • Nutritional Research Institutions: Collaborations with universities or research institutes can enhance the scientific understanding of the nutritional benefits and efficacy of the feed (for example Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo, CN)
  • Food Processing Companies: Businesses involved in the production of eggs or egg-based products may be interested in sourcing sustainable feed for their poultry operations.

    Activities: Support the supply chain in identifying strengths and weaknesses and in overcoming obstacles to the establishment of a closed loop system. Develop business models and relational diagrams that enable the identification of possible solutions for the creation and promotion of this and other closed loop supply chains. Collaborations with agricultural by-product suppliers and insect farming enterprises are integral, as well as partnerships with research institutions to enhance nutritional outcomes. Education and outreach efforts will raise awareness among consumers and producers about the benefits of this sustainable system. Overall, these activities aim to create a functional and scalable model that promotes sustainability and efficiency within the supply chain.   Challenges/Solution:  The main challenges in closing the supply chain include logistical costs, as managing transportation and storage efficiently is crucial; high logistics costs can significantly impact profitability. Ensuring a steady flow of large quantities of recovered waste is essential for offsetting these costs. Infrastructure limitations pose another challenge, as the lack of adequate facilities for processing and transforming waste can hinder operations and scalability. Regulatory hurdles also present difficulties, as navigating complex and restrictive regulations regarding the use of insects as feed can create barriers to entry and slow down progress. Additionally, gaining market acceptance can be challenging, particularly among consumers and producers who may have cultural biases against using insects as a food source. There is often a lack of education and awareness about the benefits of closed-loop systems, which can reduce participation and interest among stakeholders. Access to competitive markets and establishing suitable distribution channels can further complicate the situation. Finally, fluctuations in the quality of raw materials can affect the consistency and reliability of the final products. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated approach among all stakeholders in the supply chain to develop effective solutions and strategies.