FUSION Issue 3-2026 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 19
FIBRE
ND LIFE?
“ Every retiring composite
aircraft represents tonnes of
high-performance material
with, until now, nowhere
meaningful to go. ”
Why this matters
beyond aerospace
For the wider composites and finishing
community, the signal is worth taking
seriously. Circularity in composites has
moved from a conference talking point
to industrial practice, with dedicated
recycling capacity, commercial feedstock
agreements, and a growing market for
recycled carbon products. The market
for recycled aircraft composites is
still small, valued at around 135 million
euros worldwide, but the direction is
unmistakable.
The practical implication for manufacturers
is that end-of-life is becoming a design and
procurement consideration rather than an
afterthought. Scrap that was once a disposal
cost is becoming a feedstock with value.
Customers, particularly in aerospace supply
chains, are beginning to ask what happens
to the material they buy after its first life
ends. The businesses with a good answer to
that question will find it increasingly easy
to give. The ones without will find that the
question does not go away.
dtc-uk.com
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