Sustainability Conference: Design for circular composite products: turning waste, recycling & reuse into opportunities

Composite materials are preferred for many engineering applications because of their durability and superior strength. However, proper waste disposal and recycling at the end of the useful life of composite materials is necessary for a future circular economy. Many current and future waste management and environmental legislation will mandate engineering materials to be properly recovered, recycled and reused from products such as automobiles, wind turbines, and aircraft that have reached the end of their useful life. Although many technologies have been developed such as mechanical recycling, thermal recycling, and chemical recycling, they have not yet been fully commercialized. Extensive research and development is being done to develop more recyclable composite products and better recycling technologies for composite materials. Once recycled, these recovered materials must be valued and reincorporated into production. This will contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the composites industry towards a more circular economy with a goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

Speaker(s):
Frazer BARNES, Chairman & CTO, Gen2Carbon
Giorgio BETTETO, R&D CTO, Gees Recycling
Dan COUGHLIN, VP, Composites Market Development, ACMA
Jen HILL, Director, B&M Longworth (Edgworth)
Pirjo PIETIKÄINEN, Advisor, Finnish Plastics Industries Federation
Moderator:
Malcolm FORSYTH, Sustainability Manager, Composites UK

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