BIO4HUMAN newsletter 4 - January 2026

 As we step into 2026, we would like to wish you a very happy New Year and thank you for continuing this journey with Bio4HUMAN.

Welcome to the fourth edition of the Bio4HUMAN project newsletter! In this issue, we’re pleased to share updates on our latest progress, including the completion of our third project milestone, recent events and conferences, new publications, and highlights from our collaboration across the humanitarian and bio-based innovation sectors.

As always, thank you for staying connected with Bio4HUMAN and for following our work to bring sustainable, bio-based innovations into humanitarian operations.To explore more about the project, visit our website or LinkedIn page.

Third Project Milestone complete!

We are pleased to announce that the project’s third milestone, “Life Cycle Assessments performed,” led by WeLOOP, has been successfully achieved, alongside the completion of Work Package 5.

Work Package 5 concluded with a comparative assessment of the existing materials used in humanitarian aid kits and the innovative bio-based solutions identified by Bio4HUMAN. This work builds on the life cycle inventories (D5.1) and hotspot analysis (D5.2) previously conducted. The assessment shows that while bio-based packaging and materials can contribute to environmental improvements in humanitarian operations, the greatest impact comes from optimising high-impact items (tarpaulins or clothes for instance), improving material performance and strengthening end-of-life (EoL) management systems. This work led to the construction of a roadmap for policy makers to reduce environmental impacts in HA sector, regarding EoL for instance (see figure below). 

In parallel, WeLOOP, with support from PIN and PAH, is delivering a new 

awareness-raising webinar series for humanitarian clusters, waste-management professionals, and humanitarian organisations seeking to reduce the long-term environmental impacts of their operations. The series aims to raise awareness, strengthen decision-making and provide practical guidance on sustainable waste practices in crisis settings.

Three webinars are currently being conducted for actors in Bio4HUMAN DRC settings, (in French) and three webinars are planned for South Sudan (in English). Two sessions already took place in the DRC (November and December 2025), with the final session scheduled for Spring 2026.  

Recordings and presentations from the completed sessions are available on the Bio4HUMAN website here under Thematic webinar recordings - don’t miss the opportunity to revisit the insights shared so far!  

Bio4HUMAN on the Road: Recent Events and Contributions

Our project partners have been active across numerous conferences and events this autumn, presenting project activities and results through presentations, posters and stands.  

In September, WeLOOP presented Bio4HUMAN’s LCSA strategy at LCM (Life Cycle Management conference) 2025, while UC presented LCA work at ECCE-ECAB-CIBIQ 2025, and PIN introduced the project and bio-based solutions to the DRC’s South Kivu WASH cluster. 

In October, humanitarian partner PAH represented the project at AidEx 2025 conference in October and PIN presented the project and bio-based solutions to the DRC’s South Kivu Food Security cluster. 

November was particularly busy, with AIMPLAS hosting an institutional stand at ECOMONDO 2025, ITENE exhibiting at Ecofira 2025, WeLOOP presenting their LCSA work at MCV (Life Cycle Management) 2025, and PIN presenting the project and bio-based solutions to the DRC’s South Kivu Nutrition cluster. 

In December, UC and ITENE showcased a Bio4HUMAN poster on at CONAMA 2025, AIMPLAS contributed to the 3rd PLASREC International Plastic Recycling Seminar by presenting Bio4HUMAN at their stand and PAH presented Bio4HUMAN at the World Bank’s design workshop ‘Juba Pilot of the Smart Parcel Atlas for Resilient Cities (SPARC)’. 

All posters and presentations are available on the Bio4HUMAN website. 

Looking ahead, ITENE will represent Bio4HUMAN at the BioCircular Summit in Madrid in January - we hope to see you there! Last but not least, stay tuned for a save-the-date announcement for the Bio4HUMAN final event. 

Top left: AidEx Nairobi 2025, bottom left: Ecofira 2025, middle: MCV 2025, top right: CONAMA 2025, bottom right: LCM 2025.

Advancing Sustainable Solid Waste Management: Insights from Our Latest Papers

The Bio4HUMAN team is pleased to share two new grey and white papers on solid waste management in humanitarian settings, developed by our partner PRO CIVIS.  

The grey paper, ‘Overcoming the non-technical barriers for effective implementation of bio-based solutions in humanitarian settings’ explores why promising technologies often struggle to scale in humanitarian contexts. It highlights key systemic challenges, such as limited funding, weak policy frameworks, skills gaps, and insufficient coordination, and provides practical recommendations for humanitarian actors, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. These findings will inform Bio4HUMAN’s upcoming Replication Roadmap and reinforce our mission to support real-world adoption of sustainable, bio-based solutions. 

Complementing this, our policy white paper, ‘Bridging the gap in Solid Waste Management for Humanitarian Actions’, offers a concise, solutions-oriented overview of sector-wide challenges related to how the decrease in funding impacts the ability to invest in structural changes and cross-cutting issues like solid waste management. It outlines how standardized waste audits and LCAs, stronger public–private partnerships, and circular economy approaches can improve waste management practices in humanitarian operations.

Together, these papers combine in-depth analysis with strategic guidance, reinforcing Bio4HUMAN’s mission to support real-world adoption of sustainable, bio-based solutions.

BioHUMAN in the Spotlight - EU Researcher Feature  

WORM Final Event - Key Results & Reflections

Our sister project WORM (Waste in Humanitarian Operations: Reduction and Minimization) hosted its Final Event (pictured below) on 4 November 2025 at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland.

The hybrid event marked a key milestone as WORM presented its final results, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and waste management guidelines. During a clustering session, Julien Lugwarha, Climate Resilience Coordinator at People in Need DRC, presented Bio4HUMAN’s ongoing work.

He shared insights from community engagement and feasibility assessments conducted in the DRC, highlighting how Bio4HUMAN solutions are being tested and adapted in real-world contexts, with strong attention to local perspectives and sustainable impact.

We warmly congratulate the WORM consortium on the conclusion of their project and wish them every success in the continued use and dissemination of their results.

We’d like to thank you for reading our newsletter thus far. If you have any questions regarding the Bio4HUMAN project, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by either directly replying to this newsletter or by writing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..