CompositeCircle

Composite materials, widely used in industries such as wind power, are durable but difficult to recycle. As the wind energy sector continues to grow rapidly, the need to manage end-of-life turbine blades and other composite products has become an urgent environmental and industrial issue. Across Europe and especially around the Baltic Sea, there is increasing pressure to develop circular solutions that prevent valuable materials from ending up as waste.

At present, most composite waste cannot be efficiently recycled or reused. Companies in the wind power, plastics, and construction sectors lack proven methods and value chains to process reinforced plastics sustainably. Without cross-border collaboration, the expertise, infrastructure, and business models needed for large-scale recycling remain fragmented and underdeveloped.

The CompositeCircle project brings together experts from six countries (Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Denmark and Sweden) to create a shared circular economy model for composite materials. Together we develop recycling pathways and business ecosystems that make it possible to reuse composite waste instead of landfilling it.

Over the three-year implementation period (2025–2028) we connect 24 partner organisations representing the wind power, composite, waste management, cement, and chemical sectors.

The project has already attracted a broad network of industry and research partners committed to advancing composite recycling. To develop competence in recycling composites, the transnational value chain has been further developed through the identification of best practices and key areas for improvement. A review of legislation across different countries has been carried out to identify themes and regulatory aspects that could be harmonized. A framework for measuring environmental impacts has been established, with data being collected iteratively to support continuous development. Technical and economic solutions have been advanced in collaboration with project partners and companies, including, for example, the pretreatment of composite wind turbine blades. Based on the findings and information gathered so far, we have been able to launch the pilot activities. The results of the pilots will be used to develop a recycling guidebook for relevant stakeholders.

Through CompositeCircle, we are helping to build a future where composite materials circulate safely and efficiently across borders, turning waste into a resource and innovation into collaboration.