SUSTAINABILITY

Natural Fibers

Natural fiber composites: Growing to fit sustainability needs

Led by global and industry-wide sustainability goals, commercial interest in flax and hemp fiber-reinforced composites grows into higher-performance, higher-volume applications.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Carbon Fibers

SHD, Lineat signs terms for sustainable carbon fiber composites

Alignment of “recycled” and waste carbon fiber material via a patented manufacturing technology process will encourage more sustainable, circular composite materials development.

Carbon Fibers

Future Materials Group report addresses advanced materials and climate change

Report analyzes sustainability strategy development, the role of carbon fiber in the global energy transition, and profitability challenges faced by wind OEMs.

Materials

ELIOT Project finds solvolysis best method for aerospace biocomposites recycling

AIMPLAS and TNO study analyzed 12 methods for six different biocomposites. Solvolysis and pyrolysis proved the two most promising alternatives tested in large-scale production at a pilot plant.

JEC World 2023 preview: Bcomp

Bcomp presents a range of parts featuring its materials, from a range of brands in automotive, motorsports and sports, at JEC World 2023.

Core

DIAB commits to circular business model

Diab uses recycled raw materials to make core materials; Diab customers can use such products with recycled content to help lower their carbon footprint and Diab assists in reusing its products at end of life.

Core

JEC World 2023 preview: Diab

Diab is presenting new sustainable solutions and circular core materials, including the Divinycell materials range and a variety of project parts.

Carbon Fibers

Microwave heating for more sustainable carbon fiber

Skeptics say it won’t work — Osaka-based Microwave Chemical Co. says it already has — and continues to advance its simulation-based technology to slash energy use and emissions in manufacturing.

Ginger Gardiner
Senior Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Natural Fibers

Arris unveils structural flax fiber composite

High-performance natural fiber adds to the company’s other biocomposite offerings, helps achieve sustainability initiatives.

Materials

RWE Sofia offshore wind farm to use Siemens RecyclableBlades

Large offshore wind farm in the U.K. will have 44 out of 100 of its wind turbines equipped with recyclable composite blades, the largest order to date.

Toray establishes new research facility fostering sustainable manufacturing innovation

Nagoya-based facility will be a hub for customer and academia collaboration and global R&D to accelerate Toray’s green transformation and explore advanced materials for myriad advanced mobility applications.

Carbon Fibers

European SUSPENS project targets green composites production

The 13-partner program will addresses the challenge of reducing the environmental footprint of sandwich and hollow composite structures via bio-sourced resins and carbon fiber precursors.

Carbon Fibers

Mitsui Chemicals, Microwave Chemical install demonstration facility for eco-friendly carbon fiber

Microwave-based Carbon-MX process could cut energy consumption by 50% and CO2 emissions by 90%.

Mass Transit

LIST opens innovation center focusing on sustainable composite materials

The Sustainable Composite Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Centre (SCMM) will be supported by major players in rail, aerospace, automotive and space to transition sustainable composites research to commercialization.

Carbon Fibers

Bio-based acrylonitrile for carbon fiber manufacture

The quest for a sustainable source of acrylonitrile for carbon fiber manufacture has made the leap from the lab to the market.

Jeff Sloan
Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

Carbon Fibers

Chemnitz University of Technology receives €6 million to expand research into "green" carbon fiber

Carbon LabFactory and InnoCarbEnergy project conduct R&D across entire value chain from raw materials through processes to structures and systems on a pilot line with technology demonstrators.

Materials

Recycling end-of-life composite parts: New methods, markets

From infrastructure solutions to consumer products, Polish recycler Anmet and Netherlands-based researchers are developing new methods for repurposing wind turbine blades and other composite parts.

Gurit receives Silver rating for sustainability performance

The composite materials supplier’s efforts to engage in global sustainability projects placed it in the top 12% of all EcoVadis-rated companies.

Epoxies

EuCIA welcomes Epoxy Europe as a new member

The sector group will support EuCIA’s climate-neutral ambitions, contributed through strategic projects and promotion of composites sustainability.

Materials

Fujitsu, Teijin start joint trials to promote value of recycled carbon fiber

Three-month trials with German bicycle manufacturers will lead to new platform implementation to promote use of recycled materials, enable emissions tracing/management.

Aerospace

NASA picks Boeing’s Transonic Truss-Based Wing for Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project

With the help of NASA, Boeing will build, test and fly a full-scale demonstrator aircraft starting in 2028, gearing toward a greener, more fuel-efficient future aircraft.

Design/Simulation

ASCEND program update: Designing next-gen, high-rate auto and aerospace composites

GKN Aerospace, McLaren Automotive and U.K.-based partners share goals and progress aiming at high-rate, Industry 4.0-enabled, sustainable materials and processes.

Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Thermoplastics

Composites end markets: Electronics (2023)

Increasingly, prototype and production-ready smart devices featuring thermoplastic composite cases and other components provide lightweight, optimized sustainable alternatives to metal.

EcoVadis awards Scott Bader Gold sustainability rating

Adhesives, composites and functional polymers manufacturer was ranked in the top 4%, committing to full sustainability by 2036.

Consumer

Composites end markets: Sports and recreation (2023)

Interest in higher performance and more sustainability drive new composite materials innovations in sporting goods and other consumer products.

Automotive

Lingrove plant-based ekoa composite featured in Hyundai Palisade concept vehicle

Carbon-neutral biocomposite enables interactive doorspear with look and feel of wood while protecting trees, enabling transparency and capacitive touch for futuretech.

Carbon Fibers

Forvia launches Materi’act brand to develop, produce sustainable materials

Materi’act to propose materials including low CO2 carbon fibers, bio-based and carbon-capturing compounds and more, with up to 85% CO2 reduction.

European R&D project Bizente researches enzymatic technologies to recover thermosets

Through protein engineering, project partners molecularly modify enzymes and resins to make it possible to recover thermoset composites and give them a second life.

View All sustainability Articles