Dear interested participant,

as a follow up of the Sardinia Symposium 2025 – 20th International Symposium on Waste Management, Resource Recovery and Sustainable Landfilling and as an initiative of the EU-funded REPOXYBLE project, we are collecting experiences and views on circularity and sustainability aspects of resin-based composites along their life cycle.

These will help to inform the design of novel resin-based composite systems, allowing closed loop recycling of their components, including fibres, such as the one developed by REPOXYBLE (thanks to its DLCE - Depolymerizable Closed Loop Epoxy system).
This survey will help to develop practical advice for for research, industry and policy makers in developing new materials, technologies and in defining circular value chain and business models, to reduce impacts of composite materials all along the life cycle, especially at the End of Life.

We ask your opinion, as expert in one or more of the following fields: sustainability, occupational health and safety, recycling, waste management, advanced materials, polymer and composite engineering, polymer-based composites.

Most of the questions are introduced, as a guidance, by a brief statement based on the experience of the REPOXYBLE project. The questionnaire is composed of 14 open and multiple choices questions, structured in 3 sections:
  • Technologies
  • Life cycle, value chain and circular business models
  • Your profile (optional)

We will keep you updated on project results, and you will receive the final guidance documents developed by the project. Compilation should take about 10-15 minutes.
Please, compile the survey before 10th November 2025

On behalf of REPOXYBLE:
Christoph Olscher, Florian Part - BOKU University
Andrea Porcari, Elena Destro, Olmo Guagnetti - Italian Association for Industrial Research (Airi)

For further questions contact info@repoxyble.eu
Part A) Technologies
Background
Nowadays there are quite few technologies to ensure cost-effective separation and recycling of polymer composites. Novel composites should be designed based on Safe and Sustainable by Design approaches that could ensure sustainability along the entire life cycle, including End of Life. Recycling processes should be upscaled and integrated in existing value chains, to make recycling feasible and cost-effective.

Question Title

* 1. Based on your experience, which are the most used strategies (state of the art) for waste management of resin-based composites materials?
Choosing from Not used at all to Most used

  Not used at all Most used
Landfilling
Waste-to-energy (thermal)
Reuse/remanufacturing
Mechanical recycling
Chemical recycling
Biological recycling

Question Title

* 2. In your view, what would you consider as the most effective recycling technologies for novel resin-based composite materials?
Choosing from Not effective at all to Most effective

  Not effective at all Most effective
Mechanical recycling
(e.g. shredding/milling)
Pyrolysis
Hydrolysis
(ambient conditions)
Hydrolysis
(supercritical conditions)
Solvolysis
(ambient conditions)
Solvolysis
(supercritical conditions)
Enzymatic degradation/biological recycling

Question Title

* 3. Please add here any specific comment on the previous question, including considerations about major differences in circular/recycling technologies depending on the type of material considered

Question Title

* 4. Which are the main barriers for the implementation of these recycling technologies?
Choosing from Not a barrier to Major barrier

  Not a barrier Major barrier
Complexity of material composition
Material costs
Processing costs
Availability of materials
(to ensure cost effective recycling)
Access to infrastructure
(availability, locations, and transport)
Access to relevant supply chain players
(e.g, recyclers)
Challenges in scalability/upscaling of the technology
Challenges in market uptake of secondary raw materials
(e.g. quality, costs, volumes)
Market entry barriers for secondary raw materials
(e.g. competitive gain, acceptance by end users)
Availability of information
(on process, product, material composition and recyclability)
Material requirements and criteria
(e.g. safety, quality)
End of Life/End of Waste criteria
(e.g. classification of waste and secondary materials)

Question Title

* 5. Which are the main motivations/opportunities for the implementation of these recycling technologies?
Choosing from Not an opportunity to Major opportunity

  Not an opportunity Major opportunity
Competitive advantage
(technology leadership)
Improving sustainability of processes and products
Increase value of waste/secondary materials
Reduce raw material consumption
Avoid supply chain shortages
Open new markets
Address current/future regulatory requirements
(regulatory preparedness)
Improving company reputation

Question Title

* 6. Which sectors/applications do you think have the highest potential for the use of recycled composites, in particular resin-based composites?
If possible, please list at least 3 sectors

Question Title

* 7. Could you please indicate if you are involved or aware of initiatives concerning recycling and End of Life technologies of resin-based composites, and possibly name/describe them?

Part B) Life cycle, value chain and circular business models
Background
Reducing and avoiding waste along the life cycle is the ambition of current and upcoming policies, regulations and strategies (e.g. EC Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, EU end-of-life-of-vehicles Directive). This includes transforming waste into valuable secondary materials to strongly reduce negative environmental impacts. But new approaches, and possibly new business models are required to achieve these ambitions.

Question Title

* 8. What could be the most effective technological and/or market approaches to improve the circularity of resin-based composites?
E.g. implement circular, recyclable, safe and sustainable "by-design", in product development; maximize biodegradability of components; develop "as a service" and value-added circular business models, for example charging customers based on functions provided, instead of volume of material sold, etc.

Question Title

* 9. Could you please indicate if there are missing or underrepresented players in existing value chains, in order to enable circularity processes for resin-based composites and possibly name/describe them?
E.g. specialized waste collectors, specialized dismantling companies, shredding companies, seller or buyer of recycled materials (middleman), etc.

Question Title

* 10. Which policies/legal limitations (will) have the strongest impact (as a barrier or a driver) in collecting and recycling End of Life composite materials?

Part C) Your profile

Question Title

* 11. Please indicate your main area of expertise

Question Title

* 12. Your stakeholder group
E.g. public research, large industry, SME, Industry cluster, assocation, standard bodies, regulatory agencies, policy maker, civil society organizations, others

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* 13. Your Country

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* 14. Please, provide your contact details, to remain updated on the results of the survey and of the REPOXYBLE project
Optional

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* 15. Compiling and submitting this survey, I agree that REPOXYBLE, via its partner Airi - Italian Association for Industrial Research, will store and use these data in its database for the purpose of collecting your answers and keep me informed on the results, in compliance with the EC regulation 2016/679 (more info on REPOXYBLE's privacy & cookie policy)

Question Title

* 16. I would like to receive REPOXYBLE newsletter to to stay informed about the project and its topics.
Optional
See our privacy policy for newsletter here.

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