IRES is an independent Belgian consulting company (SME). IRES has a core business and wide experience in the fields of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC), exposure and risk assessment (hazard and exposure scenarios), safe and sustainable by design (SSbD), data management plan (DMP), machine learning, quality assurance, and data analysis.
IRES is a data solution provider that invests in innovative machine learning based solutions. Data originating from different sources is utilised to unlock hidden values that lie between them. The company is currently expanding its expertise on material characterisation with the help of AI. More specifically, characterisation of SEM image purity of different types of materials via the help of computer vision and deep neural networks. We provide customised and tailored solutions on demand, often in tool form, successfully identify possible business risks and provide sustainable directions. For this, the whole life cycle of products is considered, through a holistic evaluation of social, environmental and economic aspects based on EU standards and regulations.
IRES in collaboration with external bodies and related initiatives, is part of new technological events, rising innovative technologies and strategic research trends. Through its international network, IRES supports the development of innovative technologies and the optimisation of products.
Role in EOLIAN
IRES is leading Work Package 7: Sustainability analysis and risk assessment, performing risk assessment for the identification of health and safety aspects, life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) including LCA, LCC and sLCA, to identify and analyse the environmental, economic and social impact of the EOLIAN manufacturing technologies. In addition, IRES performs the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework guidelines on the materials and chemicals.
In the context of the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA), IRES also accomplishes comparative impact assessment to evaluate the innovative technologies and the related strategies on the novel wind turbines and components.
We spoke to Dr Elias Koumoulos, IRES CEO, about the company’s work in EOLIAN.
What is IRES’ experience in EU-funded projects and composite materials?
IRES has extensive experience in EU-funded research and innovation projects, participating in more than 40 Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 initiatives. Our multidisciplinary team of over 40 engineers and scientists combines expertise in LCA, LCC, social LCA, exposure and risk assessment, safe and sustainable by design (SSbD), and advanced data analytics.
In the field of composite materials, IRES has contributed to several projects focused on the design, assessment and upscaling of novel materials, including fibre reinforced composites, biocomposites, and circular materials. Our work often bridges sustainability analysis with machine learning and AI-based approaches, allowing us to characterize material properties, optimize manufacturing parameters, and ensure safe and sustainable innovation across the materials’ life cycle.
What attracted you to the EOLIAN project?
The EOLIAN project brings a unique opportunity to revolutionize wind turbine technology through the development of bio-based vitrimer composites – materials that combine high performance with recyclability and repairability. What particularly attracted us is the project’s strong alignment with the EU’s Green Deal and Circular Economy principles, as well as its emphasis on sustainability across the entire value chain.
For IRES, EOLIAN represents an ideal platform to apply and further advance our integrated LCSA and SSbD frameworks. We are especially excited to assess and quantify the real-world environmental, economic, and social benefits of these new materials compared to conventional composites, ensuring that innovation leads to measurable sustainability gains.
How is Work Package 7 structured?
WP7, led by IRES, focuses on sustainability analysis and risk assessment, providing the foundation for safe, responsible, and sustainable innovation throughout EOLIAN.
It is structured into four main tasks:
- Task 7.1 – Risk Assessment and Safe-by-Design: We identify potential health and safety risks across the materials’ and manufacturing life cycle, applying state-of-the-art risk assessment techniques (FMEA, FTA, etc.) and performing exposure assessments. Training workshops on the SSbD framework are delivered to partners to embed safety and sustainability from the design stage.
- Task 7.2 – Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): This task quantifies environmental impacts – from raw material extraction to end-of-life – of the novel fibre reinforced vitrimer composites and wind turbines. Using ISO 14040/44 standards and commercial software such as SimaPro, we identify environmental “hotspots” and propose improvement measures.
- Task 7.3 – Life Cycle Costing (LCC): In parallel with the LCA, we assess the total economic costs of the developed technologies, including material, manufacturing, and operational expenses (CAPEX/OPEX). Together with the social LCA, this ensures a full Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA).
- Task 7.4 – Comparative Impact Assessment: Finally, we compare the innovative vitrimer-based solutions with conventional composites, evaluating environmental, social, and economic performance and end-of-life scenarios to support circularity and sustainable waste management strategies.
Bio-based vitrimers are a relatively new area of study. What challenges does this present, and how will you address these?
Bio-based vitrimer composites combine the complexity of polymer chemistry with the emerging concepts of dynamic covalent bonding and recyclability. This novelty introduces challenges in terms of assessing their long-term stability, recyclability pathways, and potential health and environmental impacts.
To address these, IRES applies a tiered and harmonized risk assessment approach, aligned with ISO and OECD standards, ensuring that hazard and exposure evaluations are scientifically robust. By integrating SSbD principles early in development, we ensure that safety and sustainability are considered from material synthesis to end-of-life.
Moreover, through LCSA, we capture and quantify trade-offs among environmental, economic, and social dimensions, ensuring the responsible development and deployment of these new materials in wind energy applications.
What does IRES hope to have achieved by the end of the project?
By the end of EOLIAN, IRES aims to deliver a comprehensive sustainability framework for bio-based vitrimer composites and wind turbine components. This includes:
- A validated LCSA covering environmental, economic, and social aspects.
- A detailed risk and Safe-by-Design assessment, ensuring that new materials and manufacturing processes are safe for workers and the environment.
- A comparative analysis demonstrating the environmental and cost advantages of vitrimer-based composites over conventional materials.
- Practical guidelines and digital tools supporting future industrial scale-up and decision-making in line with EU sustainability standards.
Ultimately, our goal is to support the transition toward greener, safer, and circular wind energy technologies.
How do you plan to use the knowledge gained from EOLIAN?
The methodologies, datasets, and insights gained from EOLIAN will feed directly into IRES’s broader R&D strategy. We will integrate the developed LCSA and SSbD frameworks into our consulting and AI-based tools to support future clients and projects in advanced materials, renewable energy, and sustainable manufacturing.
Moreover, the knowledge will be shared within our network of EU-funded initiatives to foster cross-project collaboration, strengthen standardization efforts, and promote the safe and sustainable deployment of novel materials.
The experience will also guide our ongoing work on AI-driven material characterization, expanding our expertise at the intersection of materials science, machine learning, and sustainability.
For further information visit the IRES website.
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