The RECREATE Conference, Made in the EU: Creating Markets for Circular Composites, brought together over 100 participants onsite and online, to explore how Europe can accelerate the transition from innovation to market uptake in circular composite materials.

Organised as part of the Challenge Circularity initiative led by Circular Business Academy, the event gathered stakeholders from industry, research, policy and investment communities to address the technological, regulatory and financial conditions needed to strengthen the competitiveness of European industries through circular value chains.

From Innovation to Industrial Deployment

The conference showcased a wide range of solutions enabling the circularity of fibre-reinforced composites, from design and manufacturing to reuse, remanufacturing and recycling. Through multiple pitching sessions, participants were introduced to technologies already demonstrating strong potential for industrial uptake across sectors such as automotive, wind energy, aerospace, transport and construction.

Gianmarco Griffini, RECREATE Project Coordinator, highlighted the importance of moving beyond research:

“Our objective is not only to develop technologies, but to ensure they are adopted. Circular composites must become a competitive advantage for European industry, not just a sustainability ambition.”

Policy Alignment as a Key Enabler

A central theme of the conference was the need for clear and coordinated policy frameworks to support circular innovation.

Raphaël Pleynet, Managing Director of EuCIA, emphasised the importance of collaboration at European level: “Europe has a unique opportunity to lead in circular composites, but this requires strong alignment across the value chain. Initiatives such as the European Circular Composites Alliance are here ensure that innovation, industry and policy move forward together.”

Volker Mathes of AVK underlined the urgency of action: “We have the knowledge and the technological base in Europe, which can become our competitive advantage if we act now. The challenge is to remove the barriers and create the right framework conditions so these solutions can scale.”

Axel Leuchter, Vice-Chair of Carbon Fiber Europe, added: “Bridging the gap between innovation and industrial reality requires strong cooperation across the ecosystem. Industry must be actively involved in shaping solutions that are both sustainable and economically viable.”

As a up and coming startup owner, Jochem Cuppen, co-founder of Compone, emphasied: “If a circular solution makes financial sense, it will be adopted – by investors, by industry, and by the market. At that point, regulation no longer holds it back, it follows it”

Investment and Industry Perspectives on Scaling

The Investors & Industry panel addressed the challenges of bringing circular solutions to market, focusing on financing, risk and industrial adoption. The discussion highlighted that while many promising solutions are being developed, their transition from low to mid Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to fully scalable business cases remains a key bottleneck. Panelists emphasised that investors are increasingly interested in circular technologies, but require clear pathways to scale, validated business models and strong industrial partnerships.

Luigi Amati, META Group & Business Angels Europe, stressed the importance of connecting innovation with investment readiness: “Capital follows clarity — when circular solutions show a credible path to scale and return, investment come.” Yannick Willemin, founder of Catalysium, who is preparing a composites focused capital fund said:  “Investing in low-TRL innovation is not just about the technology – it’s about the team, the roadmap and the credibility of reaching scale. I need to get to know the people behind the technology and what drives them”.

Demonstrating Circular Solutions in Practice

The conference featured three pitching sessions presenting a diverse portfolio of technologies and demonstrators addressing the full lifecycle of composites. Highlights included circular design approaches for automotive applications, reuse of composite components in aviation, innovative solutions for wind turbine materials, as well as advanced recycling, reshaping and debonding techniques, clearly demonstrating that circular composite solutions are progressing towards real industrial deployment.

A catalogue of RECREATE results and technologies is available online, providing detailed insights into the showcased solutions: https://www.recreatecomposites.eu/results-catalogue/

Building Skills and Tools for the Circular Transition

In addition to technology and policy discussions, the conference addressed the importance of knowledge transfer and skills development.

Gianmarco Griffini introduced the RECREATE MOOC on fibre-reinforced composite materials, providing accessible, high-quality educational content for students and industry actors seeking to better understand circular composites and their applications. Roberta Memeo, Grifo multimedia, presented Nova Polis, an interactive educational simulation game designed to explore circular business decision-making and long-term value creation. In addition, Christina Vogiantzi, University of Patras, introduced integrated sustainability and circularity assessment methodologies and tools, developed within the project to support decision-making from early-stage technology development through to industrial deployment.

Both the educational resources and assessment tools are available for use, supporting wider adoption of circular practices beyond the project. Reach out to our partners using the link above to get more information.

Driving Impact Beyond the Project

As the RECREATE project reaches its conclusion, the conference marked a key milestone in ensuring that its results continue to generate impact beyond the project lifecycle. META Circularity, responsible for dissemination and exploitation, is supporting this transition by connecting project results with market actors and developing tools to assess the circularity potential of emerging technologies from early stages.

The event reinforced a shared message: Europe has the knowledge, innovation capacity and industrial base to lead in circular composites, but coordinated action is needed to turn this potential into market reality.