Introduction to Sustainability in Composites

Sustainability is a global priority with a huge drive for change. As a society, our passion for sustainability from a moral perspective has grown rapidly, and there are now strong zero-carbon legislation targets mandated across industries in a bid to reduce their impact on the environment.

Today, composites already support the drive to a carbon-neutral future, but there is more that we need to do.

This course provides an introduction to how businesses can start thinking differently about their operation, products & production processes in order to adhere to legislation and support the drive for change.

What we'll cover:

• Life cycle thinking
• The circular economy
• The meaning of the term “sustainability”
• The 3 pillars of sustainability
• The 3 R’s that the circular economy model promotes
• Life Cycle Assessments & what they can be used for
• 3 alternative feedstocks for resins and fibres
• The 2 stages of composites recycling
• The 3 families of composite reclamation
• Ways to design for sustainability