Projects that seeks to boost environmental technologies while strengthening economic growth and competitiveness.

Eco-Innovation Program EU

The European Commission has launched in 2008 a new funding scheme that supports Eco-innovation. With this funding, projects based on clever ideas and new environmentally-friendly solutions, get a chance to reach a EU-wide market. In 2011, a grant from this Program was awarded to Van Maren Systems for its RecycledPalletSystem initiative.

The Eco-innovation scheme provides funding for projects in various sectors that reduces environmental impacts, or promote a more efficient use of resources. Priority areas include material recycling, buildings, the food and drink sector as well as greener business.To be a candidate for funding, projects must be environmentally beneficial, innovative and economically viable in the medium to long-term. The initiative contributes to the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) that seeks to boost environmental technologies while strengthening economic growth and competitiveness.Small and Medium Enterprises play a major role in this regard. In the report of the Grant Committee, the RecycledPalletSystem project by van Maren was evaluated as “the project will be implemented by qualified and experienced partners possessing good knowlegde on the market barriers and compatible technical expertise … The main innovative advantage of the proposed solution refers to the use of mixed post-consumer plastics as an input of the pallet blocks as opposite to widely used wood or other types of plastic waste.”

Read more about the program