European stakeholders collaborate to advance sustainable solutions for EoL boats

EuCIA joined key stakeholders in Brussels at the first meeting of the Network of stakeholders on end-of-life recreational boats and composites. This group is working to develop a common EU approach and effective solutions for the management of end-of-life (EoL) recreational boats and composite materials.

The event on 11th October was organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) and European Boating Industry (EBI). It follows the EU dialogue on end-of-life recreational craft event which EuCIA joined on 18th March 2024. The aim was to share best practices for the dismantling and recycling of recreational boats and discuss the steps needed to move towards a circular economy for composite materials. Policy and financial issues were also addressed.

End-of-life solutions for composites
Andreea Strachinescu, DG MARE Head of Unit, Unit A1: Maritime Innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment, opened the event. It was chaired by Alena Petrikovicova for DG MARE, supported by Philip Easthill, Secretary General of EBI.

Philip Easthill set the scene with a presentation of the Roadmap on the implementation of the circular economy for end-of-life recreational boats. This outlines the steps the boating industry is taking towards a greener future, which includes a proposed recycling pathway for the composite components of end-of-life boats.

Proposed recycling pathway until 2030 and 2050 - EuCIA
Jaap van der Woude, Chair of EuCIA’s Sustainability Working Group, and Thomas Wegman, EuCIA Board Member, were in attendance to discuss EuCIA’s vision of composites circularity. They highlighted the findings of the recent life cycle assessment (LCA) study on treating EOL composite materials in cement co-processing. This independent study, commissioned by EuCIA, EBI and 7 other industry associations, confirms the positive environmental impact of this existing end-of-life solution for glass fibre reinforced thermoset composites. A system to enable cement co-processing of composites has been successfully established in Finland (the KiMuRa Route) and is now being expanded.

The day also included presentations on circular technologies for ship dismantling, and national initiatives from Finland and Belgium.

Building the supply chain for circularity
In establishing this network of stakeholders, the European Commission and EBI is building on the work undertaken by the Stakeholders’ group on end-of-life recreational boats set up in 2018. It will enlarge the network with stakeholders facing similar challenges related to composites use and end-of-life which are therefore logical partners in driving forward recycling solutions for composite materials at their end-of-life and end-of-use.

EuCIA is committed to working with all stakeholders to create a circular economy for composite materials and advance sustainability in boating and other industries using composites. Sharing best practices and learning from others is key to achieving this goal. Co-processing of EoL composite materials in cement plants provides a first solution, allowing other developing technologies to be established. EuCIA has also identified a number of barriers which need to be addressed in order to build the supply chains to enable full composites circularity. There is much work to be done since the circularity strategy may be different for different markets, depending on the waste stream, legislation, logistics and other factors.