Data-driven interventions to cut down single-use ‘consumables’
Single-use plastics are integral to composites manufacturing. Bags, films and tubing may not sound essential for making complex aerospace and wind turbine parts, but you’ll find them throughout any facility doing just that.
The problem is that these ‘consumables’ mount up. We estimate that over 50,000 tonnes of waste is generated annually across European composite manufacturing, which itself represents just 15-20% of the global composites market.
So while composite materials are synonymous with delivering ultra-efficient flight and global clean energy ambitions, the way they’re manufactured has a notable environmental impact.
NCC is among the first to assess the scale of the challenge and identify viable solutions.
Challenge
It’s not possible to simply stop using consumables, which are firmly embedded in manufacturing processes.
Wind turbine blade infusion uses PVC tubing to feed the resin and a knitted polyethylene mesh to distribute it. The aerospace industry has widely adopted vacuum bagging – and accompanying bagging film – for large, high-performance structures.
With consumables here to stay, the focus must be on re-use. Currently, used material is sent to landfill or incineration, neither segregated nor recycled.
Manufacturers already understand this, but the challenge is knowing where to start. Faced with an array of consumables made from different types of plastics, they need to know where to focus efforts to achieve realistic, high-impact interventions.
Solution
NCC conducted a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for a range of different consumables used in composites manufacturing, based on usage at our own industrial facility.
The resulting hotspot analysis ranks individual consumables according to their rating across nine environmental impact indicators.
The dataset was expanded through two further studies: a facility-level analysis of a major aerospace original equipment manufacturer, alongside a product-level analysis of a wind turbine blade (manufactured using resin infusion).
The result is a clear, data-driven basis for prioritising interventions for consumables, which identifies breather, infusion tubing and bagging as top of the list.
Innovation
Our research started with the obvious: how can we recycle the existing mixed waste stream?
Granulation and compounding can turn this waste into new consumables, but their mechanical performance is reduced. High-impact consumables need a bespoke approach:
Breather
Breather is the single largest consumable by mass. Working with Plan B Circular and supported by NCC, Airtech Advanced Materials UK collected and processed 1 tonne of waste polyester breather, converting it into high quality recycled PET (rPET) pellets
These pellets are an established commodity and a viable second-life application for waste breather.
Infusion Tubing
Resin injection machines are already cleaned and re-used via automated cleaning cycles. Our work in this area explored how to extend this practice to the tubing itself. We’ve already demonstrated it at a small scale, with early trials indicating that up to 70% of tubing could be reused.
Bagging
Vacuum bags are typically mixed-material, making them harder to recycle. Together with Airtech Advanced Materials Group, we explored alternatives derived from a single polymer family. While these single-source bags aren’t suitable for all applications, their mechanical performance improves on mixed-material equivalents in scenarios where they can be used.
Impact and next steps
At most facilities, recycling rates for consumables sit near 0%. While plastic circularity is too complex to change overnight, adoption of these data-driven strategies offers a realistic pathway to divert thousands of tonnes of material from landfill to high-value second-life applications.
We’re putting it into practice alongside industrial partners at our Large Structures Innovation Centre, where recycling technologies will be integrated with new processes from the very beginning.
To learn more about this work, access the data, or discuss waste management strategies at your facility, contact the team today.
Shortlisted for a Composites UK Industry Award
The demonstration of practical second life applications for breather fabric by Airtech Advanced Materials with support from Plan B Circular and NCC has been nominated for a Composites UK Industry Award 2027 in the 'Sustainability: Circularity' category.
Learn more on the Composites UK website.