ARGONAUT PROJECT

Leading the Way
for Bio-Based Innovation

AI-powered environmental impact assessment for a circular economy

Mission

ARGONAUT aims to create an accessible, AI-powered tool that calculates the environmental and climate impact of bio-based products across their entire lifecycle, using blockchain technology for secure tracking through a “digital passport.”

ARGONAUT is actively empowering small and medium-sized producers to make more sustainable decisions by providing them with reliable information and comparisons of different value chain options. This decision support helps producers choose pathways that align with their environmental goals.

ARGONAUT also supports the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, fostering sustainable value chains and driving the shift towards a circular bioeconomy across Europe.

Objectives

AI digital tool

Develop an AI digital tool accurately depicting the environmental impacts of bio-based products across their entire value chain.

01.
6 value chains

Validate, enhance, and optimise the developed AI digital tool across 6 value chains using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.

02.
Digital Bio-based product passport

Develop a digital bio-based product passport based on blockchain technology, allowing easy and secure tracking.

03.
Digitalization of information

Contribute to the digitalization of bio-based products’ life cycle information for inclusion in the foreseen European Dataspace for Smart Circular Applications.

04.
Social readiness and acceptability

Enhance the social readiness and acceptability of climate friendly bio-based products.

05.

Results

AI Digital Tool (JASON)

Develop and deploy the Joint Analytical System
for Optimization of environmental impact
assessmeNt (JASON) AI Tool.

Digital Bio-Product Passport (DBP)

1 fully functional DBP system developed
with at least 6 tags assigned.

Policy Toolkit

A policy toolkit aimed at influencing
bio-product policies.

FLEECE

A library that will highlight the eco-conscious and eco-friendly nature of the products and practices deployed.

Business & Governance Models

Models that will help foster the development of bio-based alternatives, optimise resource use, and promote the transition to a more sustainable industrial paradigm.

Full Conventional LCAs

Full conventional LCAs of six established bio-based product value chains (use cases) covering the environmental and climate impact at each stage of the value chain.

Federated data space

A data space that enables edge, on-premise and cloud-based systems to share data in a structured way, while allowing semantic flexibility with respect to different data models used and facilitating technical interoperability.

Educational and Awareness Campaign

The campaign will increase stakeholders awareness about the benefits of ARGONAUT outcomes.

Digital Bio-product
Passport System

ARGONAUT will provide users with a powerful tool to map out production options, optimise resource use and determine environmental impacts.

In this way, both current and prospective small and medium sized producers, now confronting serious doubts about their best available options and enjoying limited resources for their clarification, will have access to a new source of clear and relevant information upon which to base their decisions, especially when it comes to fully understanding the environmental impacts and benefits associated with each of their production alternatives.

At the same time, by developing a tool integrating AI, blockchain, digital passports and a well-established environmental assessment methodology in an accessible and user-friendly way, ARGONAUT intends to contribute to further incorporate digital technologies in the bio-products sector and assist in bridging the technological gap still affecting smaller producers.