Collaborating for sustainable growth in composite materials

Posted on: 08/02/2019

KTN, with the support of Composites UK, is hosting a collaboration building event and workshop on sustainable materials for composites on 26th March.

The use of composite materials is increasing in a number of sectors, often providing essential performance enhancing properties such as strength, durability, reduced weight and lower on-going maintenance costs.

The Composites Leadership Forum (CLF) is predicting significant growth in this area by 2030. It is important that this growth is achieved in a sustainable way, and this represents an opportunity for the UK to take the lead with the potential to deliver disruptive change. The CLF has also highlighted, as one of its Science and Technology Recommendations, the importance of increased collaboration with the chemicals sector to develop new and existing materials .

Composites UK (the UK Trade Association for Composites) have recently conducted a Sustainability Roadmap for Composite Materials. This roadmap includes the following areas for focus:

  • establishing bio and secondary resource supply chains
  • cost-effective bio-based thermoplastics
  • 100% recycled and recyclable composite parts

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The Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), with the support of Composites UK, is hosting a Collaboration Building Event and Workshop with the aim of increasing collaboration between the chemical sectors (including industrial biotechnology), the composites industry and end users to increase sustainability within the sector.

As well as scene setting presentations, there will be an opportunity for delegates to pitch capability and opportunities as well as taking part in the circular economy workshop.

In the morning session Steven Brown (Scott Bader¬†and Composites UK) will speak about the¬†Sustainable Composites Roadmap, and Dr Yvonne Armitage (KTN’s Bioeconomy Specialist) will speak about¬†industrial biotechnology and bio-based routes to sustainable composite materials. The topic of next generation composite materials will be discussed by¬†Professor Mike Hinton¬†(High Value Manufacturing Catapult) and the latest funding opportunities for composite materials will be outlined by¬†Lien Ngo of¬†Innovate UK.

The afternoon will feature a workshop on circular economy aspects and use of fibrous recyclate led by Stella Job, of Composites UK.

The Sustainable Materials for Composites Collaboration Building Event and Workshop is taking place on Tuesday 26th March in London at the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3). You can find out more and register here.

Please note that the agenda may be subject to change.

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