EENOVA-EU LIFE Project

EENOVA is co-funded by the European Union's LIFE programme and addresses the key challenges associated with the heavy dependence of food processing on fossil fuels.

The main objectives are to assess, improve and promote energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy sources and simultaneously reduce the carbon footprint in five regional value chains spanning five different food processing sub-sectors and countries. These value chains and their respective locations are listed below:

• Bakery – Austria (AT)
• Meat – Romania (RO)
• Non-alcoholic beverages – Lithuania (LT)
• Wine production – Bulgaria (BG)
• Milk production – Slovenia (SI)

The overall objective of EENOVA is to support companies operating in these value chains in realising and implementing tailor-made energy-related improvements.

The EENOVA methodology focuses on leveraging the unique regional characteristics of these value chains, which mainly consist of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger enterprises (LEs).

We achieve this by identifying common steps that promote awareness, cooperation and the effective implementation of energy-efficient practices among individual companies belonging to specific food processing value chains. This focus on individual and interlinked conditions within the value chains takes into account regional differences in legislation, standardisation and the business environment.

The expected energy-related impacts of EENOVA are significant. Based on the successes of five case studies, EENOVA will develop an adaptable replication model that can be applied to other value chains in the same or other regions and sectors. The adoption of this model will be facilitated by the active involvement of key stakeholders, including industry associations and representatives of the financial sector.

In addition, the project partners are working closely together to find innovative solutions that encompass technological improvements, sustainable business models and necessary policy measures. This collaboration aims to strengthen the energy efficiency of the food processing sub-sectors.

EENOVA Official project website