Resource Efficiency and Composite Waste in UK Supply Chain

Abstract

Rising demand for fibre reinforced polymer composite material and environmental issues necessitates resource efficient use of manufacturing and end of life composite waste. The impact of such sustainability or recycling initiatives can be limited and misguided if the global/national picture is not thoroughly considered. This problem is addressed in this paper with the aid of new Sankey diagrams generated from virgin material and waste volumes in the UK. Environmental footprints of virgin material and recycling were used to explore the resource benefits of composite re-manufacturing. The use of Sankey diagrams enables better decision making with respect to targeting sustainability effort.