CO-Tool

The CO-Tool project is an innovative research initiative that transforms carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an environmental challenge into a valuable resource within a circular economy model. Developed in Lombardy, it connects universities, research centers, and industry to create an integrated system for CO₂ capture, use, and conversion into high-value products.

Rather than focusing only on emission reduction, CO-Tool promotes the reuse of CO₂ as a raw material. The project develops advanced technologies to capture CO₂ from industrial sources and directly from the air, then uses it to produce sustainable materials such as polymers, fertilizers, packaging solutions, and chemical compounds like methanol. A key strength of CO-Tool is its strong collaboration between academia and industry, enabling rapid technology transfer and real-world application. Its solutions target multiple sectors, including cosmetics, construction, agriculture, and energy. By integrating circular design principles and life cycle analysis, the project ensures both environmental and economic sustainability. CO-Tool represents a shift toward carbon-negative innovation, turning emissions into opportunities and supporting a more sustainable industrial future.

InPower

The INPOWER project focuses on developing a new generation of sustainable photovoltaic technologies designed specifically for indoor environments. Its goal is to enable efficient, low-cost, and safe energy solutions for powering the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT), reducing dependence on batteries and their environmental impact.

At the core of the project is the advancement of perovskite-inspired solar cells that do not contain lead, addressing a key limitation of current high-performance materials. While conventional perovskites offer excellent efficiency under indoor lighting, their toxicity limits widespread adoption. INPOWER tackles this challenge by designing lead-free materials that maintain high performance while ensuring safety and environmental compatibility. The project combines expertise in materials chemistry and optoelectronic device engineering to develop scalable colloidal inks, optimize thin-film deposition processes, and fabricate high-efficiency photovoltaic devices tailored to low-light conditions. A major objective is to significantly improve the efficiency of lead-free materials and bring them closer to commercial viability. Beyond materials and devices, INPOWER emphasizes real-world application. The project will demonstrate the integration of these solar cells into a self-powered CO₂ sensor, showcasing their potential to replace batteries in smart indoor systems. By bridging fundamental research and practical implementation, INPOWER contributes to the transition toward clean, distributed energy solutions. It supports the development of safer, scalable, and environmentally friendly technologies that can power next-generation electronics and smart environments..

REplace

The REPLACE project focuses on advancing the sustainability of perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology by developing innovative materials, processes, and recycling strategies. While PSCs have reached performance levels comparable to silicon and can be manufactured through low-cost solution processes, their environmental impact and long-term stability remain key challenges. The project addresses these issues by reducing energy consumption, minimizing resource use, and improving the overall environmental footprint of PSC production. It introduces low-energy synthesis methods for perovskite nanocrystals, enabling scalable and more sustainable fabrication routes. At the same time, new hole transport materials are developed using green chemistry approaches, enhancing both device efficiency and environmental compatibility. A central aspect of REPLACE is the optimization of printable inks and processing protocols to enable efficient solar cell fabrication. Although performance targets for nanocrystal-based devices remain challenging, the project has contributed to improved reproducibility and a deeper understanding of processing limitations, such as environmental conditions during deposition. In parallel, REPLACE explores circular economy strategies by developing methods for recovering and reusing key materials, including lead and conductive substrates, from end-of-life devices. These efforts demonstrate the feasibility of integrating recycling into next-generation photovoltaic technologies. Overall, REPLACE contributes to a more sustainable and responsible development of solar energy, bridging advanced materials research with environmental and industrial considerations.

Green, Organic and Printed Ultra-High Frequency Identification Tags (GRETA)

GRETA will lay the foundation of the first green, printed and flexible organic wireless identification tag operating at Ultra-High Frequency (UHF, 300 MHz – 1 GHz). The long-term vision is to enable remote powering and readout of tags up to meters distance range, asrequired in logistics and security, without the need of a battery and with drastically reduced lifecycle impact and costing with respect to any available passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Measurable objectives: Objective 1. Green synthesis and development of sustainable and biodegradable materials (Action 1); Objective 2. Sustainable inks formulations for large-area printing tools (Action 1); Objective 3. UHF electronics based on sustainable printed organic semiconductors (Action 2); Objective 4. Enable an eco-designed, printed UHF wireless tag with sustainable lifecycle. GRETA will produce two demos: 1) GRETA UHF tag, demonstrating rectification of a 400 MHz wave to enable a code generator; 2) GRETA UHF logic, demonstrating a sustainable printed integrated 4-bit shift register. GRETA will serve emerging digitalization needs in logistics, healthcare and security without adding e-waste, independently from the silicon industry and from any critical raw material, and delivering safe materials for the environment. GRETA will quantify its drastically reduced environmental impact with a full LCA, along a cradle-to-grave approach, anticipating end-of-life scenari