After nearly three years of collaboration, the project has assessed the potential of combining recycled plastics and banana plant waste to develop more sustainable materials, incorporating environmental and social criteria through life cycle assessment.
The CICEP project, “Circular Economy Action in Insular Regions through the Valorisation of Plastic and Agricultural Waste”, has successfully concluded after nearly three years of collaboration between the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the University of Girona (LEPAMAP-PRODIS), and the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF.
Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the project addressed waste management challenges in the Canary Islands through circular economy strategies focused on the recovery of post-consumer mixed plastics and the valorisation of agricultural banana rachis waste.
The project analysed how recycled plastics and natural fibres obtained from banana plant waste can be combined to develop more sustainable composite materials with potential industrial applications (Figure 1).
At ESCI-UPF, the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change participated in the environmental and social assessment of the proposed solutions through methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA). These methodologies make it possible to analyse the impacts of a product or process throughout its different stages, from raw material extraction to its use or end-of-life.
The studies carried out identified critical environmental hotspots related to water and energy consumption and proposed improvement strategies such as water recirculation, energy optimisation, and the use of renewable energy sources.
The project results highlight the potential for developing circular economy strategies adapted to insular regions, contributing to more sustainable and resilient waste management models.
11/05/2026
From April 21 to 23, Sandra Ceballos Santos, researcher at the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF, participated in the 1st Iberian Congress on Small-Scale Fisheries (Congreso Ibérico de Pesquerías Artesanales – CIPA 2026), held at the Paraninfo of the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander, Cantabria.
19/01/2026
ESCI-UPF and Politecnico di Milano publish a joint research paper to help organisations and consumers, respectively, with policy and decision-making through the assessment of the social risks associated with different high-protein food alternatives.
01/12/2025
The UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF participated in the event “Life Cycle Management in the Transition Toward a Sustainable Agri-Food Sector”, promoted by the Red Española de ACV was held in Vic (Barcelona) on 19 and 20 November 2025.
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