SustaiNext is the first flagship project funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) that aims to transform the traditional botanical extracts industry with a unique model that could be replicated by the European bio-based industry.
Its main goal is to industrially deploy an intelligent, dynamic and analytical biorefinery that integrates the entire feedstock supply chain and enables cascading valorisation.
NATAC leads a consortium of 21 European partners who bring diversity, excellence, and strength to ensure
the technological, technical, and social progress of the project.
ADDED VALUE
Induce socioeconomic benefits in rural areas
SustaiNext will take place in Extremadura, a Spanish agro-livestock farming region, located in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
As many other rural areas in the EU it’s currently facing several industrial and demographical challenges that SustaiNext will address by offering key opportunities to unlock new value chains using selected medicinal and aromatic plants (rosemary, camomile and lemon verbena), as well as olive, artichoke and pomegranate biomass, which will generate new business opportunities and jobs (direct and indirect).
Establish new alternatives to the tobacco plant industry
98% of tobacco cultivation in Spain takes place in Extremadura, with 8,664 hectares in total.
Currently, this industry is looking for new alternatives that provide economic viability to croplands (traditionally cultivated with tobacco) and achieve greater social acceptance through new and healthier crops.
This is where medicinal and aromatic plants come into play, emerging as a viable and profitable opportunity.
Shift from photovoltaic to agri-voltaic solar energy
Extremadura is the Spanish region with the highest installed solar PV capacity, which has intensified competition for land use and associated increased carbon emissions from land use change.
Agri-power has emerged as a sustainable model, capable of combining clean and affordable electricity production and agricultural production.
Valorise agro-industrial biomass feedstock
This is one of the greatest challenges for the region of Extremadura, the fifth largest in Spain in terms of agro-industrial biomass production, with 6,800 tonnes per year.
These resources are currently under-exploited feedstock with great potential for the development of new healthy ingredients.
FEATURED NEWS
SustaiNext highlighted by CBE JU for creating value in rural regions
The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has highlighted SustaiNext as a project showing how bio-based innovation can create new opportunities in Europe’s rural
World Bioproduct Day: SustaiNext showcases innovative bio-based food applications
On 7 July, World Bioproduct Day celebrates the role of bio-based products in building a more sustainable, circular and resource-efficient economy. As part of this
SustaiNext consortium meets in Essen for its 6th General Assembly
The SustaiNext consortium gathered in Essen (Germany) from 16 to 18 June 2026 for the project’s 6th General Assembly, hosted by project partner MIAVIT. The
