Composite waste an untapped market for Europe, report claims
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) clarified data around the waste available.
The EuCIA created a model based on the gross domestic product of countries to predict the total volume of thermoset composites wastes in 2025 to be 914Kt.
However, as composites are embedded in infrastructure and are exported for reuse outside Europe, the association says around a quarter of that is accessible for recycling – 228Kt. Of this, only 5-10Kt is recycled.
The report titled Reimagining end-of-use composites as a new resource calls for a more robust European value chain and infrastructure, as well as establishing systems to enable widespread collection and sorting of the waste.
The data will be added to the new European Circular Composites Alliance (ECCA), which seeks to scale up sustainable composite recycling solutions. The ECCA are a sectorial alliance of the EuCIA, and their Working Groups’ first meeting will take place in August.
