LIFE as catalyst - how the LIFE Waste2Protein project helped build a €200 million insect bioconversion business

The LIFE Waste2Protein project laid the foundation for REPLOID's insect bioconversion business, now valued at €200 million, with the first commercial ReFarmUnit installation in Germany and further market deployment underway.

LIFE Waste2Protein started back in 2019 as a LIFE-funded insect protein bioconversion project, developing a sustainable alternative to fish and soy meal for animal feed that can significantly reduce its environmental footprint. Now, it is a commercially validated circular solution integrated within the REPLOID Group , with plans to scale across Europe and underpinning a business valued at €200 million.

"In July 2025, the REPLOID Group was listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Today, the Group has a market capitalisation of around €200 million, employs more than 100 people and generates revenues in the double-digit million range - several times higher than at the end of the LIFE project", explains Moritz Gold, the Head of Research and Development of LIFE Waste2Protein.

The initiative's latest milestone is the recently inaugurated ReFarmUnit, a decentralised, modular insect farm, in Bavaria, Germany. This new facility is operated by REPLOID's first customer and represents a €5.4 millioninvestment. The unit can be installed directly on or near farms or food companies, improving efficiency and the use of local resources.

"To sum up, the LIFE project laid the foundation for a dynamically growing and financially successful group with global ambitions", adds Moritz Gold. These achievements demonstrate how EU support can help catalyse innovation, attract investment and enable large-scale market deployment.

Path to the market

After the successful completion of the start-up madebymade project LIFE Waste2Protein in 2023, the company joined forces with REPLOID Group (Austria) under REPLOID Deutschland to replicate the solution developed within the LIFE project. By combining their expertise, the new Group developed a modular, highly automated insect-rearing facility (ReFarmUnit) and established an economically viable business model that integrates both upstream and downstream value chains.

"In LIFE Waste2Protein we prototyped and developed, for the first time, the ReFarmUnit, a decentralised insect farm capable of processing 10,000 tonnes of waste and residues," explains Moritz Gold, the Head of Research and Development of LIFE Waste2Protein.

The winner of the 2024 LIFE Award for Circular Economy and Quality of Life created a system that converts organic residues into sustainable protein, feed and fertiliser, using Black Soldier Fly larvae directly at the waste source.

"Our clients are farmers, but we are also working with industrial partners," states Moritz Gold. "We are currently broadening the scope of our ReFarmUnit across Europe. The valuable aspect of this technology is that it is applicable across different European climates, allowing us to address diverse challenges for various clients in multiple countries." Moritz concludes: "You will see more facilities being commissioned in Austria, Germany and across Europe."

Impact of C2M support

The LIFE Programme and the close-to-market (C2M) support played an essential role in supporting the transition of the promising research results of LIFE Waste2Protein into a market-ready innovative product.

"It was a very important project, and we wouldn't have achieved our goals without the C2M support from LIFE. With modular technology and decentralised insect farms, it was crucial to find partners and organic residues in other countries to start new markets," emphasises Jonas Finck, LIFE Waste2Protein's Scientific Leader.

Concretely, the C2M team contributed to further strengthen the transition from innovation to investment, helping to refine the commercial strategy of the start-up, increase visibility among industrial partners, and facilitate investor engagement.

"During the project, we had the chance to review our pitch decks, we got support in business development, and it was very important for us to find new partners in other countries to showcase our technology and provide solutions for them. This helped us increase our credibility and trust in our technology," says Jonas Finck.

This testimonial is reinforced by Moritz Gold, who had already emphasised in an earlier interview with CINEA how decisive LIFE and C2M support were in moving the project from innovation to market deployment.

Continuity through LIFE Waste4Growth

Building on the achievements of LIFE Waste2Protein, the team has launched a second LIFE project to address remaining technological and scaling challenges.

"LIFE Waste4Growth is really a continuation of LIFE Waste2Protein, focusing on a product that was not fully utilised in the project (insect frass, which can be a really potent organic fertiliser, and is something we need in Europe). We are tackling this now, as we are commercialising the ReFarmUnit, and it will generate large quantities of this insect frass. That makes it very timely to develop a solution in LIFE Waste4Growth" says Moritz Gold.

Learn more about the LIFE Waste2Protein project in our project fiche.

The LIFE Waste2Protein project supports several key EU environmental areas, including the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy, the Energy Roadmap 2050, the Landfill of Waste Directive and the Waste Framework Directive.

How LIFE helps close-to-market projects

LIFE close-to-market initiative supports LIFE beneficiaries in bringing their innovative green solutions into the market. The projects gain access to a dedicated support team with extensive experience, offering insights on business coaching, advisory on business strategy development, pitching presentation guidance and expert connections, among other activities.

Looking for support to develop your clean-tech solution and bring it to the market? Check out the LIFE close-to-market webpage.