WindEurope, EuCIA, CEMBUREAU, EBI, Cefic UP/VE, Cefic Epoxy Europe, and Glass Fibre Europe have issued a joint position paper pointing-out the benefits of cement co-processing for end-of-life composite materials and how the EU regulatory framework can help to scale it up.
These associations, representing the composites value chain including constituent material manufacturers, composites fabricators, composites users (wind and boating) as well as the cement manufacturers agree that cement co-processing offers a win-win solution that:
1) Allows for a sustainable recycling solution for end-of-life composite materials from decommissioned assets, vessels, and composites manufacturing processes.
2) Supports the sustainable development and decarbonization of the European construction market.
3) Increases the overall circularity of end-of-life composite materials
The cement co-processing of end-of-life composite materials allows material recycling by reducing the use of natural raw materials in cement manufacturing, while mitigating climate change contributions through replacement of fossil energy sources. As the cement in concrete can be fully recycled and used to make new concrete, cement co-processing is also a circular solution for the end-of-life composite materials.
As a result, the industry associationscall on European policymakers to:
– Recognise co-processing as a Recycling Process according to the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC.
– Develop an EU-wide harmonized model for a separate waste collection scheme for end-of-life composite materials
– Establish dedicated waste codes for end-of-life composite materials.
– Phase out the landfilling of end-of-life composite materials from the wind energy and boating sectors.