BreadCell was an EU Horizon 2020 project (April 2021 – March 2025). This site is an archive of the project.
BreadCellUpgrading cellulose fibers into porous materials

Results

Reports, videos and demonstrators from the BreadCell project. For scientific papers, see Publications.

Reports and factsheets

Videos

Demonstrator: bicycle helmet

The BreadCell helmet protects cyclists and athletes. BreadCell foams form the impact-absorbing core of the helmet, and the shell is made of bent birch or poplar plywood.

The helmet premiered at the consortium meeting in Gothenburg in April 2024 and was shown at the JEC Composites Show in March 2025. Read the study: A cellulosic fiber foam as a bicycle helmet impact liner for brain injury mitigation in oblique impacts (Heliyon, 2024).

Helmet shell made of plywood
Helmet shell made of plywood

Demonstrator: skateboard

A penny board with a BreadCell foam core was the project’s pre-demonstrator, first shown at the consortium meeting in San Sebastián in October 2023. Together with sports board enthusiasts, the team also tested laminating the BreadCell foams.

Watch the skateboard video · Lamination trials

Consortium meeting in San Sebastián with the BreadCell penny board
Consortium meeting in San Sebastián with the BreadCell penny board

Spin-off: FOAMO

The FOAMO team wants to revolutionise the footwear industry with sustainable solutions. Footwear is currently made of fossil-based plastics and animal products like leather; the processing can be toxic and the products usually do not biodegrade.

FOAMO uses only materials derived from renewable natural resources. Its secret is cellulose, the most abundant renewable material on earth, made into a foam whose porous structure is lightweight and absorbs the impact of your foot.

FOAMO was supported by the academic start-up centre Science Park Graz GmbH and funded through the AplusB Scale-up programme.

FOAMO
Science Park Graz and AplusB logos