Strategic Research and Innovation Partnership Circular Economy (SRIP Circular Economy) presented awards for the best innovative solutions in the field of circular economy for 2025. The central national event, dedicated to the recognition, professional validation, and promotion of innovative solutions that contribute to the systemic transition to a circular economy, also honored the BioSTARCHew dog chew bone with a Gold Award.
As highlighted at the award ceremony by TECOS Managing Director Dr. Aleš Hančič, the first biodegradable dog chew bone is the result of Slovenian expertise. The core of the TECOS development team consisted of Dr. Vesna Žepič Bogataj, Peter Fajs, and M.Sc. Nataša Zupanc. In addition to TECOS, the BioSTARCHew partner consortium also included the companies Katić Mill and Veterinary Practice and Pet Shop Tačka).
The BioSTARCHew project – Environmentally friendly pet toys from secondary raw materials of the food sector – was funded by national public call of the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan and enabled:
- the development of environmentally friendly pet toys,
- the utilization of unused starch by-products as a primary raw material for producing eco-friendly products with a significantly lower carbon footprint,
- the establishment of a local supply chain, from the provider of secondary raw materials to the processor, retailer, and end user of the new products,
- an excellent example of a circular business model, where a by-product of the food industry becomes an input raw material for the production of environmentally friendly products for the pet industry.
Learn more about the BioSTARCHew dog chew bone HERE.