Unlocking the Potential of Agro-Waste: ORIENTATE Brings Mediterranean Stakeholders Together for a More Sustainable Future

The ORIENTATE project, funded by the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, will host an online capitalisation event on 14 October 2026, bringing together Mediterranean stakeholders to explore how agricultural by-products can be transformed into valuable resources. Through project presentations, good practices and interactive discussions, the event will promote knowledge exchange, circular economy solutions and new opportunities for sustainable development and cross-border cooperation across the Mediterranean

Publication Date
01/10/2026
Reading Time
2 minutes

How can agricultural waste become a valuable resource for businesses, communities and the environment? On 14 October 2026, the ORIENTATE project, funded by the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, will bring together Mediterranean stakeholders for an online capitalisation event dedicated to unlocking new opportunities in agricultural by-product valorisation and the circular economy.

Hosted by ARCES, the project’s Lead Beneficiary, in Palermo, Italy, the event, “Unlocking Value from Agro-Waste: Driving Business Opportunities and Sustainability for Mediterranean Stakeholders”, will provide a platform for exchanging knowledge, showcasing complementary initiatives and exploring opportunities for cross-border cooperation.

Turning agricultural by-products into opportunities

Agricultural waste represents both a challenge and an opportunity for Mediterranean countries. Finding sustainable ways to manage and valorise agro-industrial by-products can help reduce waste, improve resource efficiency and support the transition towards more circular production models.

Within this context, ORIENTATE focuses on the valorisation of citrus and olive waste, exploring circular economy approaches that can generate environmental, economic and social benefits. The project’s capitalisation event will highlight the importance of building on existing knowledge, connecting complementary initiatives and strengthening synergies among projects and stakeholders across the Mediterranean.

Sharing knowledge and good practices across the Mediterranean

A central part of the event will be dedicated to presenting initiatives that address shared challenges in food systems, agricultural resource management, water efficiency and circular economy innovation.

Participating projects and initiatives will showcase approaches ranging from food loss and waste reduction and climate-smart agriculture to olive industry by-product valorisation, circular biorefineries and resource efficiency.

Contributions from organisations and partners in countries including Turkey, Jordan, Spain, Lebanon and Italy will provide opportunities to explore different experiences and identify areas of common interest.

The session will feature contributions from initiatives including FUSION, FrontAg Nexus, Biorefinery for Byproducts from the Olive Industry, UNIDO 2Circular, CELAVIE, REFINE and MEDWISE.

From project results to lasting impact

Beyond presenting project activities and results, the event will focus on how knowledge and solutions can be transferred, adapted and scaled up to generate lasting benefits.

Through an interactive Mentimeter poll, participants will be invited to share their views on key challenges affecting agricultural by-product valorisation, the conditions needed to replicate and scale up circular economy practices, and priorities for future transnational cooperation.

The results will feed into a collective discussion on policy integration, cooperation opportunities and the long-term sustainability of the solutions presented.

Join the event online

📅 Date: 14 October 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00–12:00 CET
💻 Format: Online event
📍 Hosted by: ARCES, Palermo, Italy

Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/ncu-cvuk-sjh

Join ORIENTATE and its Mediterranean partners to exchange ideas, discover innovative approaches and explore how agricultural by-products can become drivers of business opportunities, sustainability and circular economy development.

Last Update

01/10/2026