BiOrbic welcomes the launch of ReTREEaSURE, a new project to put Europe’s forest leftovers to good use
Forests cover almost 40% of the EU’s land. Every year, they produce around 80.7 million tonnes of leftover material from branches, treetops, bark and leaves left behind after harvesting, and almost all of it goes to waste. A new four-year Horizon Europe project, ReTREEaSURE, wants to change that by turning these forest leftovers into everyday products.
The project is coordinated by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). It is also part of BiOrbic’s Forestry Challenge, and runs from September 2026 to August 2030.
Caption: The partners of the ReTREEaSURE project met on 10th September 2026 for their kick off meeting in Athlone, Ireland.
Project coordinator Dr Yuanyuan Chen explains why this matters:
“Forest leftovers like branches, treetops, bark and leaves are more than just waste,” said Dr. Yuanyuan Chen. “They’re full of natural compounds that could be turned into useful materials, but how much you can safely take from a forest depends on where you are: in cooler areas, it’s better left on the ground to protect the soil; in drier areas, removing it helps prevent wildfires; in wetter areas, it needs careful management to stop it rotting and releasing greenhouse gases. Figuring out how much can be safely removed, and where, has always been the hard part.”
ReTREEaSURE tackles this with three tools working together:
1. a way of assessing each forest site to work out how much material can be safely removed; 2. mobile equipment that collects and processes the material on-site, cutting down on transport and emissions; and 3. a smart digital tool that helps forest owners plan sustainable harvesting and replanting.
The material collected will be turned into eight new bio-based products, including biodegradable plastics, plant-based leather alternatives, natural dyes, chemical ingredients, sustainable packaging, and even clothes hangers. The project team will also work with industry partners to develop five business models, to make sure these products are commercially viable.
ReTREEaSURE brings together ten partners across six countries: TUS, Kelada Pharmachem and Green Belt (Ireland); the National Technical University of Athens and Manitaria Dirfys (Greece); HOLOSS (Portugal); Innovaplast Biyoteknoloji (Turkey); Sferikon and the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (Serbia); and the National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia).
Follow the ReTREEaSURE LinkedIn page for updates, and read more on the CBE JU website.
