EuCIA launches European Composites Waste & Recycling Survey  

“EuCIA is committed to supporting the sustainable growth of the European composites industry and this survey will help us to address the current lack of reliable data on end-of-use composites and waste management practices across Europe,” explains Raphaël Pleynet, Managing Director of EuCIA. “We will also identify the key challenges to recycling in different countries.”

Composite materials will be instrumental in the transition to a climate-neutral economy due to their application in key sectors such as wind energy and transportation. However, recycling solutions are needed as a growing number of composite components near the end of their service life. EuCIA estimates the total volume of thermoset composites waste in Europe is currently around 400 ktons/year. This includes both production waste and end-of-use waste. EuCIA estimates that 40-70% of this waste is currently landfilled or incinerated without energy recovery, but exact figures are not available.

The European Composites Waste & Recycling Market Survey aims to better quantify composites waste volumes in Europe and to identify the main barriers to composites recycling today. The survey is open to companies involved in composites manufacturing in Europe (part manufacturers, end-users, materials suppliers, recyclers) operating across all end-use markets and composites transformation processes. Cefic’s statistics group will collect and analyse the survey responses and the results will be reported on an anonymous basis.

The survey is available here. It is available in six languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish) and should take approximately 6-8 minutes to complete.

The deadline to reply is 31^st October 2023. EuCIA will communicate the survey findings in early 2024.

 About EuCIA:
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), headquartered in Brussels, represents European national composites associations and industry-specific sector groups at EU level. With the support of its members, EuCIA actively contributes to building an economically and environmentally sustainable European composites industry. EuCIA closely follows relevant standards and legislation, actively communicates on the ways in which composites contribute to a more sustainable world, and promotes educational activities. Our initiatives aim to ensure the healthy growth and continued competitiveness of more than 10,000 companies and an estimated 150,000 employees involved in composites manufacturing across Europe.