What projects are Composites UK involved with?
Project PRoGrESS
Project PRoGrESS is a £2million, three year scheme (2022-2025) that is part-funded by Innovate UK and leading industry partner Cubis Systems Limited. It seeks to deliver a circular model for recycling glass fibre from wind turbine blades and production waste to support the UK’s ambitious climate change targets.
The project is overseen by Composites UK, with the expertise of researchers at the University of Strathclyde, the LMC, University of Nottingham, SUEZ recycling and recovery in the UK, and composites distributor GRP Solutions. It will benefit the wider UK economy and create green jobs.
Composites Innovation Cluster
The Composites Innovation Cluster was the largest, single collaborative research and development programme in the UK composites industry involving 31 organisations participating in 17 projects. Between them, the partners produced a range of demonstrators across the breadth of the composite value chain.
The programme was funded by the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI).
Composites UK was the dissemination lead for the project.
A full report detailing the activities from 2012 – 2016 can be downloaded here.
WRAP-REAP
WRAP funded Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP) for the Composites Industry
This project is now complete. The composites industry REAP sets out a series of actions, which when implemented, will result in a reduction in composite material-related waste and improved resource efficiency within the sector.
The composites sector recognises the increasing importance of landfill diversion, recycling and improved resource efficiency, and has seen increasing supply-chain pressure from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to improve environmental performance. This, together with direct legislative and regulatory pressure, has driven the development of this REAP.
The main focus of this REAP is on identifying actions to reduce the quantities of composite waste requiring landfill disposal, and to encourage the development of closed-loop manufacturing within the sector. The Action Plan focuses on glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) rather than carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), since the tonnage of GFRP production and use is many times greater than for CFRP; and in addition the higher value by weight of CFRP waste has allowed the development of commercial recycling solutions.
The plan will be delivered through the Stakeholder Group which will work in conjunction with the Composites Leadership Forum sustainability working group.