On the occasion of World Environment Day, LIFE CLOOVER² is pleased to highlight the growing visibility of circular economy initiatives within the industrial sector, as demonstrated at Expoquimia 2026.
A key moment of the event was the participation of César Sánchez Alonso and CAPEC Cajas en Economía Circular in the Innovation Hub Elevator Pitch, where they presented an innovative circular recycling model that enables end-of-life horticultural crates to be transformed into new food-contact crates.
During the presentation, attendees learned about some of the progress achieved within the LIFE CLOOVER² crate-to-crate circuit, a pioneering initiative that demonstrates how plastic packaging can be effectively reused and recycled within a closed-loop system while maintaining the quality and safety standards required for food-contact applications.
The project showcases the value of collaboration across the entire supply chain, bringing together companies, technical experts and industry stakeholders to develop practical and scalable circular economy solutions. Through this cooperative approach, LIFE CLOOVER² is helping to demonstrate that plastic packaging can remain within the productive cycle for longer, reducing waste and promoting more efficient use of resources.
The participation of CAPEC at Expoquimia 2026 reinforces the importance of innovation as a driver of sustainability and highlights the potential of circular business models to generate environmental and economic benefits for the agri-food sector and beyond.
World Environment Day provides an opportunity to recognise the progress being made towards a more sustainable future and to celebrate initiatives that transform circular economy principles into tangible results. LIFE CLOOVER² remains committed to advancing innovative solutions that contribute to resource efficiency, waste reduction and the transition to a more circular and sustainable economy.
As part of the LIFE CLOOVER² project, SINTAC Recycling and Paléc Ecológico held a technical meeting on 29 April at Paléc’s facilities to define the most appropriate control and testing procedures for evaluating the performance of polypropylene (PP) plastic crates throughout their reuse cycle.
The session brought together project partners and expert technicians from an international certification body to establish the methodology for assessing the condition of the crates both at the beginning of their service life and after completing three consecutive reuse cycles within the project’s closed-loop system.
The evaluation programme will include testing of the mechanical reusability properties of the crates in accordance with the Spanish standard UNE 53 927, which specifies requirements for reusable plastic crates used in agri-food and industrial applications. These assessments will help determine the durability and suitability of the packaging for repeated use under real operating conditions.
In addition, a comprehensive food safety analysis will be carried out on the polypropylene crates. The testing programme will include migration analyses for materials intended to come into contact with fruit, as well as controls for heavy metals, aromatic amines and PFAS substances, ensuring compliance with the applicable regulatory limits and food-contact safety requirements.
These activities represent a key step in validating the environmental and technical performance of reusable plastic packaging systems, supporting the LIFE CLOOVER² project’s objective of promoting safe, sustainable and circular solutions for the agri-food sector.
