Sustainability

Sustainable Composites is a partnership between the NCC and CPI to promote and deliver the sustainable use of composite materials. Our aim is to accelerate the development of net zero impact composites, processes and technologies, bringing together the UK’s composites expertise to quickly turn research breakthroughs into industrial applications.

The SusWIND programme is investigating and demonstrating viable ways to recycle composite wind turbine blades, exploring the use of sustainable materials and processes for composite blades, and reimagining designs to future-proof the next generation of turbine blades. 

NCC engineers have successfully demonstrated the potential to recycle up to 80% of carbon fibre material from the earliest stages of aerospace manufacturing as alternative feedstock. Find out more about recycling manufacturing waste using fibre patch placement.

Using digital tools, including embedded sensor technology, the NCC team designed and manufactured a sustainable seat for Paralympic Champion Emma Wiggs MBE by reducing material in low-stress areas and increasing critical support where needed. 

In an exciting collaboration, Sonichem, an innovative clean tech company, embarked on a transformative project with the Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies (iCAST). This partnership aimed to harness the potential of lignin in developing advanced sustainable materials that offer an alternative solution to fossil-derived materials.

Working with UK SME, ARC Marine, the NCC has proven that a new, composite rope could offer a natural alternative to plastic ropes currently used in the marine industry.

The NCC and Suilven RDE Ltd, an automotive design SME worked together to explore the use of natural fibre composites in their car body panels. Project SALSA looked into the likely environmental savings that could be made, as well as the impact on the performance of the car.

Tim Young, Chief Technologist - Advanced Materials and Sustainability at NCC, shares insights into ongoing sustainability challenges and advancements in carbon fibre composites, in a newly published article by Anna Demming for Foresight.

Scottish Renewables will be joining the SusWIND Steering Board, providing strategic guidance to a growing community of stakeholders in the composite industry and energy sector. This work contributes towards creating end-of-life value from past and current generations of turbine blades and embedding circularity principles at the heart of future generations of turbines. 

Plans for the new Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) is set to turbo charge the local economy and bring millions of pounds of investment to Rochdale and the wider region. CEAMS is led by a consortium of expert partners, including the National Composites Centre.