IFTH, CETIM and IPC publish a guide for the recycling and ecodesign of composites

Six years later, to keep pace with ongoing industrial developments and environmental responsibility issues, IFTH, Cetim and IPC, three industrial technical centres active in the field of composites, have published a Guide for the Recycling and Ecodesign of Composites (GREC handbook) using the latest market data and technical progress.

Thermoplastic or thermoset polymeric-resin based composites offer highly promising opportunities. Due to their excellent mechanical properties and unique lightness, these materials are especially advantageous for the design of vehicles (trains, airplanes, cars and boats), renewable energy sources (wind turbines, marine energy) and buildings (panels, tubes, shells). Nevertheless the environmental benefits of composites are undermined by the impact of their end-of-life management, which mainly involves energy recovery or landfilling. As a result, there is a need to reassess the end-of-life management of composite materials.

Jointly compiled by IFTH, Cetim and IPC, this guide aims to: 
• Qualitatively and quantitatively map the material flows and sources of waste in the French composites industry
• Draw up an overview of the latest composite solutions with a low environmental impact
• Prepare an overview of the current possibilities for the reuse of composite waste
• Compile a directory of French companies that can process composite waste

Now available in English for download, the full technical report is available on CETIM website, in the “Mécathèque” section.

Meet the CETIM at JEC World 2023, hall 6, booth L50.