March 23, 2016, (Arlington, Va.) – The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) commends the international leaders who came together earlier this month in Paris to convene the first international conference on composites recycling. Attendees included representatives from organizations such Composites UK, Composites Germany, The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), Boeing, Airbus and IACMI.
“This meeting was long overdue,” commented ACMA President Tom Dobbins. “This first event was an important opportunity to promote global cooperation in composites recycling, which will benefit the industry in all regions of the world and markets.”
ACMA’s Green Composites Council recognizes that efficient composites recycling can eliminate landfill fees, improve the environment, and can also lead to greater business opportunities. Since composites have lower embodied energy than metals, recycling them requires less energy than melting and reforming metals.
“Composites have many advantages over traditional materials, exchanging ideas about the ways that they can be recycled will expand that advantage.” said Dan Coughlin, ACMA’s Vice President of Composites Market Development, who facilitated the event. “The group worked well together, and the participants clearly have a passion for the recycling of composites,” said Coughlin. Participants discussed a wide range of current composite recycling technologies and approaches.
ACMA’s website will soon include a link to a full report from the Paris workshop soon. ACMA will host the next global recycling meeting at the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) – Sept. 26-29, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif. Those interested in attending the meeting should contact Dan Coughlin at dcoughlin@acmanet.org.
