PARTNERS

Project Coordinator:

1. Politecnico di Milano
2. Tampere University
3. Fraunhofer
4. Icam Ouest
5. University of Patras
6. Gaiker
7. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
8. Invent
9. Iris
10. Cobat
11. Rescoll
12. Res-T
13. Benasedo
14. Carbon Cleanup
15. META Circularity
16. Grifo multimedia
17. EDAG
18. Head
19. Geven
20. Apra Europe
21. AVK

Italy, HE, (POLIMI)

Politecnico di Milano is the lead partner of the RECREATE Consortium. POLIMI is the top public technical university in Italy and in the top ten engineering universities in Europe, and has a well-established and documented experience as participant and coordinator of EU-funded research projects.

In RECREATE, POLIMI participates with three different groups: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” (https://www.cmic.polimi.it/en, with project coordinator Prof. G. Griffini); Department of Mechanical Engineering (https://www.mecc.polimi.it/en); task force for “Methods and Innovative Technologies for Teaching and Learning” – METID (https://www.metid.polimi.it/en/).

POLIMI will be engaged in several activities, including: the development and optimisation of innovative concepts for composite recycling; development and testing of next generation composite materials; development and optimisation of artificial-intelligence-based decision support systems; co-design, realisation and validation of innovative learning tools in the area of composite materials and circular economy.

Belgium, ASS., (APRA)

APRA (Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association) is the only global association that has been representing the interests of automotive remanufacturing companies since 1941. APRA’s Europe Middle-East Africa division (EMEA) is well-known as APRA Europe, and is based in Brussels, Belgium. The association’s approximate 600 members worldwide, with 120 in Europe, are primarily tier 1 suppliers, independent remanufacturers and core brokers. Together with FIRM, which merged into APRA Europe, we now represent approximately two-thirds of all employees in the European automotive remanufacturing industry.

APRA Europe promotes remanufacturing as an integral part of the circular economy and represents the interests of the industry, including free trade, an independent aftermarket and legal certainty. Remanufacturing is the highest form of recycling and should therefore be actively promoted by politicians, legal institutions and companies. Members benefit from the organisation’s close integration with other industry associations, receiving guidance and support in business matters. APRA Europe also holds its own conferences and other events to bring together supply and demand – for the benefit of all.

APRA has been the voice of remanufacturing since 1941.We are striving to keep our members and the remanufacturing industry updated with new ideas, the latest technologies, new products and solutions, and business opportunities. For this reason, APRA Europe engages in scientific research such as the RECREATE project. This widens our perspective and brings composite products, which are not yet part of current daily operations, into the focus of our community. At the same time, our specialised knowledge and our network of specialists will feed the project with remanufacturing-related expertise. Remanufacturing is part of the circular economy. It should therefore be considered as the preferred solution for end-of-life products, including for fibre-reinforced composite products.

Germany, ASS., (AVK)

AVK is the Federation for Reinforced Plastics (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V.) located in Frankfurt am Main/Germany. AVK currently has over 220 member companies and is therefore one of the largest associations in the European composites sector. It represents members along the entire value-added chain in the area of reinforced plastics. Its members include manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials, as well as processing companies, machine-tool manufacturers, engineering firms, testing authorities and scientific institutions. The association represents both small and medium-sized companies, as well as major multinational concerns. Members of AVK are mostly based in Germany, but are also in nearby European countries. AVK is member of the umrbrella Organization “Composites Germany” and the EuCIA (European Composites Industry Association – and supports sustainability ambitions at the European level.

One of the main goals of AVK is to broaden knowledge about the materials and to promote their use in industry. Beneath this, sustainability and recycling have become a core topic for the industry and AVK is working on several levels in this field. The knowledge gained in the RECREATE project serves to support the essential goals of AVK’s work and support the whole composites industry. Among others the outcomes will help to promote the use of the materials and to make the latest knowledge available to the network.

One of the major activities in the RECREATE project is dissemination, to target potential future users of enabled demand-driven circular economy solutions at  global level, enabling industrial uptake and technology transfer to future business cases, according to replication and multiplication. Project information and outcomes will be disseminated towards the whole composite network, to animate replication in both mature and niche sectors.

Italy, SME, (BENA)

Benasedo was founded in Milan in 1882 as a producer of bodied linseed oils. In 1959 Nino Benasedo set up the current N.Benasedo Spa plant in Caronno Pertusella, whose main activity focused on the production of resins for coatings, meeting customer needs through constant innovation. Over the years the company continually developed new polymer technologies in order to follow the manufacturing industry evolution. In 1963, a young technician, Valerio Scocco, was hired and brought great technical innovation to the company.

Over time the company expanded, and new resins were developed to be applied to furniture (such as hydroxylated resins, isocyanate for polyurethane coatings, unsaturated polyesters and urethane oils), which were all added to the market of more traditional preparations such as alkyds, anticorrosion and DECO products. In 1975 Nino Benasedo died and passed the guidance of the business to Valerio Scocco and his family, in order to grant solid and continuous control of the company.

The company continued to expand, successfully developing polymer technologies for the coil and can coating sector and for water-based products, and establishing increasingly consolidated relationships with European and multinational companies. The technological development of recent years has been characterised by the development of new products with low environmental impact and various families of water-based products, spanning from resins in solution to those in emulsion, from polyurethane dispersions to polymers with acrylic modification.

Austria, SME, (CCU)

Carbon Cleanup is a technology startup in the field of composite fibre recycling, whose goal is to recycle valuable materials from industrial waste and to enable the cycle of materials to create a sustainable future. 

The startup developed an environmentally friendly process consisting of intelligent waste gathering with IoT collection pods and innovative recycling technology deployed in the patented mobile Cleanup UNIT. All process steps are connected and monitored by the Carbon Cleanup software. The digitised process is very energy efficient, and follows the highest health and safety standards.

REcreate opens Carbon Cleanup the doors to a network of European project partners and to expand our application fields. As a recycling company, Carbon Cleanup is participating in the REcreate Project as a provider of recycled composites to be used for real demo cases. With the experience and generated data during REcreate, the startup will validate its recycling process as well as the other technologies developed in this project considering sustainability, process and economical factors.

Italy, SME, (COBAT)

Cobat Compositi is an Italian consortium for the collection, treatment and recycling of end-of-life composite material consisting mainly of glass and carbon fibres. Cobat Compositi guarantees the management of end-of-life composite materials in full compliance with circular economy practices, ensuring their proper recycling and valorisation and avoiding landfills. The consortium therefore ensures the highest environmental standards and full compliance with current legislation. The current services include on-site composite volume reduction for logistic optimisation, and transport to the plant for material recycling and energy recovery. Finally, the consortium also provides additional management services associated with the composites’ disposal, such as decontamination, environmental consultancy, and training courses for all client needs.

Cobat Compositi is funded by Cobat and SERVECO, belonging to the industry groups Innovatec and FINSEA respectively; the groups have specific vocations on waste management, sustainability and the circular economy. Within the RECREATE project, leveraging on multidisciplinary competences, Cobat Compositi will synergically collaborate with Circularity, one of the affiliates of Innovatec.

Circularity S.r.l. is an innovative start-up and “società Benefit” (i.e. a B Corp) fully engaged in promoting and supporting sustainability in its business scope and activities. Founded in 2019, Circularity aims to spread the principles of the circular economy by promoting the recovery and recycling of materials and by nurturing a shared environmental, economic, and social awareness.

Germany, LE, (EDAG)

EDAG Group – your global mobility engineering experts. The EDAG Group is the independent engineering service provider for holistic solutions in the automotive industry worldwide. With its interdisciplinary team of experts, the EDAG Group designs and defines the mobility of tomorrow. Globally networked know-how unites with German engineering skills towards innovative and comprehensive development competency for complete motor vehicles and production plants.

Specialists and visionaries for the complete package: from the concept phase through the prototype, right up to the finished motor vehicle, EDAG Vehicle Engineering is the expert in overall vehicle development within the EDAG Group. With the aspiration to responsibly develop complex projects to perfection, EDAG Vehicle Engineering offers everything required for the development of future-oriented vehicle concepts: holistic engineering know-how, practised technology competency, and openness, as well as international experience.

Germany, RTO, (WKI, IWU)

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Germany, is the world’s leading applied research organisation. Prioritising key future-relevant technologies and commercialising its findings in business and industry, it plays a major role in the innovation process. A trailblazer and trendsetter in innovative developments and research excellence, it is helping to shape our society and our future. Founded in 1949, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 76 institutes and research units throughout Germany.

Fraunhofer is represented in the RECREATE project by the Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (Fraunhofer IWU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (Fraunhofer WKI). The core of Fraunhofer IWU is innovation in the field of production technology research and development. As a leading institute for resource-efficient production, around 670 employees work on competitive manufacturing solutions in automotive and mechanical engineering, aerospace, medical technology, electrical engineering, precision engineering and microtechnology. The focus of science and contract research is on components, methods and processes, as well as the associated complex machine systems. The research focus of the Fraunhofer WKI is the wide range of renewable raw materials and their holistic use from production to recycling. A particular focus is on sustainable lightweight construction solutions. Our holistic research approach also includes the development of material recycling processes, life cycle analyses and indoor air analysis.

Fibre-reinforced plastics (FRPs) are among the best-performing materials in terms of their mechanical properties, especially when combined  . However, challenges that still limit their use are their high cost and difficult recycling behaviour. The RECREATE project is addressing the latter challenge. The motivation of the participating Fraunhofer institutes is to improve the recyclability of fibre-reinforced plastics, and to enable better use of the high-performance materials, which can also lead to economic advantages using existing know-how. Fibre-reinforced plastics are widely used in the wind turbine rotor blades of wind farms, which are of great importance in the generation of renewable energy. At the end of the service life of such a plant, the FRP rotor blades are shredded and incinerated or recycled as substitute fuel and silicate substitute in the cement industry. By developing a new generation of wind turbine rotor blades with the innovative use of different materials, manufacturing and joining techniques, as well as non-destructive testing methods to determine the quality of the end-of-life material, the sustainable use of FRPs will be improved. This approach is being pursued by the Fraunhofer Institutes, together with other project partners.

Spain, RTO, (GAIK)

GAIKER, member of Basque Research and Technology Alliance, BRTA, is a Technology Centre located in the Technological Park of Bizkaia and is devoted to the up-take of own knowledge and to the development of new technologies that are later transferred to customers coming from sectors such as the, Chemical Industry, Engineering and Consultancy Firms, Public Administrations, Automotive Industries, Construction, Packing and Packaging, and Home Appliances, amongst others.

From 1985, the Centre has carried close to 2,200 R&D Projects related to its Knowledge Areas: Biotechnology, Sustainable Composites and Functional Polymers and Recycling and Circular Economy. Besides its activity in R&D, GAIKER offers to its customers Advanced Technological Services, Analysis and Tests and Technological Dissemination Services.

GAIKER, which at present counts on 96 employees, obtained in 2019 the certification of its R&D&i Management System in accordance with UNE 166002:2014 standard, which added to the rest of certifications and accreditation of the Centre, guarantees the quality of its work.

Italy, LE, (GEV)

Today Geven is one of the major world players in the aircraft interiors market. Geven is continually investing in innovation, expertise, capacity and capabilities. Geven’s Group facilities are located in the industrial area of Nola (Naples) Italy, with representative offices in Miami (USA), Dubai (Emirates), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Geven Certification & Approvals are: UNI EN 9100:2018; UNI EN ISO 9001:2015; EASA PART 21 – Subpart O “Design Organisation Approval”; EASA PART 21 – Subpart G “Production Organisation – POA”; EASA PART 145 “Maintenance Organisation”. Geven is an ETSO Holder for several products (EASA approvals for seat models).

Geven specialises in customised solutions, research and development, engineering, design, testing, certification, industrialisation, manufacturing and pre-assembly, fal, project and programme management, after sales support, maintenance, on-site support, spare parts, on-site installation (insulation blankets and floor panels). GEVEN is a qualified supplier to OEMs such as Airbus, Boeing, ATR. Geven’s main product lines are seats, interiors, floor panels and insulation blankets.

Geven’s motivation and expectations within the RECREATE project are focused on the improvement in strategies for composite materials recyclability, mainly carbon and glass fibre reinforced, with the aim of reaching up to 90% of reuse of manufacturing scraps.

Slovenia, SME, (G_MEDIA)

META Circularity is a knowledge-focused consultancy focused on meaningful, sustainable corporate transformations, strategic communication and stakeholder development, especially in the context of innovation and circular transition. We transform business models and brands into more sustainable and more circular considering competence and experience acquired in the field of business model transformations, innovation management, journalism and media, social innovation and service design.

We are particularly dedicated to creating sustainable, innovative business models and promoting the transition to the circular economy. We advise, train and support business partners on how to manage the transformation processes of their business models and integrate them into circular value chains. In doing so, we advocate for a systematic approach to the transition to the circular economy and promote circular culture.

Gm is the carrier of the Circular Business Academy (CBA), a platform that brings together various forms of training and education for professionals, decision-makers and contractors, companies and other organisations in any sector to accelerate circular transformation.

CBA unique value proposition for the planet, society and business is realised by knowledge transfer capacity building (courses, seminars, conferences, reports), business model transformation advisory and facilitation in various formats, innovation ecosystems design, incubation and expert support. CBA engages with new ventures identification, evaluation of investment opportunities, financing facilitation, acceleration and governance. This is made possible thanks to CBA Faculty, a community of Circular Expert Practitioners, investors and partners.

Italy, LE, (GRIFO)

Grifo multimedia S.r.l. is a company specialising in providing global digital learning and gamification solutions, customised to meet the specific needs of each client. Grifo offers completed and integrated solutions, taking care of all the aspects of the implementation of digital projects aimed at engaging and activating people: Analysis of training needs and client’s goals; Design, implementation and maintenance of digital content; Supply and customisation of ICT technologies and platforms; Professional services such as Open Innovation, Assistance, Tutoring and Help Desk.

The company was founded in 1997 as a spin-off of the Tecnopolis Science and Technology Park in Apulia. It is staffed by professionals who have been working for over thirty years in the field of digital technologies applied to learning processes. Currently Grifo is a leader in the reference market in Italy, and can count important private industrial groups and public institutions of national importance as clients.

Since 2016 Grifo multimedia has become part of the SOGES group, and has progressively extended its presence and action across Italy through its offices in Bari, Milan, Turin, Florence, Padua and Frosinone. Grifo multimedia regularly participates in research and development projects at European and national level in the field of e-learning technologies, gamification and knowledge management, with the aim of providing its clients with innovative solutions, constantly aligned with leading-edge technological evolution. In recent times, the company has gained particular prominence for its gamification and digital storytelling solutions in different fields of application, such as learning and development, performance appraisal, health and patient empowerment, marketing and sales, and sustainable mobility, which have brought significant benefits to its clients in terms of the involvement and motivation of the end users.

More recently, after the forced suspension of face-to-face training activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Grifo multimedia has been called upon to carry out relevant activities of organisation, management, delivery and monitoring of live distance learning events and webinars, drawing on its expertise to combine technologies and advanced models of social learning.

Germany, SME, (INV)

As a recognised lightweight specialist for innovative fibre composite technologies in the aerospace, mechanical engineering, automotive, rail vehicle and shipbuilding sectors, INVENT GmbH in Braunschweig has been developing and producing high-precision structural components since 1996. INVENT is an EN 9100 and Nadcap certified SME that offers composite solutions, from the initial idea to series production. Our own designers and engineers work very closely with a wide range of manufacturing specialists. In this way, we offer our customers a complete package from a single source with a view to design, production planning, manufacturing processes, mechanical processing, joining and assembly as well as painting and quality control.

RECREATE gives us the opportunity to continue the good results of the previous project: FiberEUse, where we build up a modular seating structure together with EDAG. The idea was based on the use of identical FRP-parts combined by a metallic joint. For the reuse of the parts, we worked on a special adhesive formulation for a damage-free dismantling. To exploit the full potential, the entire product creation process must be considered. This also takes into account the design of a recycling friendly CFRP construction method in terms of reuse, repair and maintenance, which we will address during RECREATE. In particular, EoL composite waste – including parts as well as materials – will be investigated as a source for the profitable reuse in the manufacturing industry. Using of synergies by the partners along the whole process chain leads therefore to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of new sustainable-by-design composites and their enhanced functionalities.

France, HE (ICAM)

Icam, school of engineering established in 1898, has thirteen campuses in France and abroad: Lille, Grand Paris Sud, Nantes, Vannes, La Roche-sur-Yon, Toulouse, Strasbourg-Europe, Pointe-Noire, Douala, Kinshasa, Chennai and Recife.

With more than 6,000 students, apprentices and trainees on all its sites, Icam is positioned as a major school in the higher education landscape. Icam is structured into three areas of activity: higher education and research, vocational training and services to businesses. More than 750 generalist engineers graduate each year from our French campuses, nearly half of them through apprenticeships. Icam also offers qualifying and diploma courses ranging from the CAP (vocational training certificate) to the Specialised Master’s degree, and has production schools.

Icam also offers companies a full range of services: R&D, multidisciplinary studies, design and production of special machines, testing, etc. Close to 300 projects are thus carried out each year by Icam’s students and collaborators for companies.

Spain, SME, (IRIS)

IRIS is an advanced engineering company specialising in photonics and artificial intelligence – key enabling technologies for the digitisation of industrial processes. In RECREATE, IRIS will be applying photonic-based recognition/sorting of composites via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), advanced AI, and chemometrics techniques embedded in customised software. IRIS is committed to improving the sustainability of processes from a wide range of industries, including recyclers dealing with end-of-life materials such as complex plastic waste structures.

France, SME, (RSC)

RESCOLL is a French SME specialised in polymer materials, with activities ranging from testing to R&D and production. RESCOLL has recognised expertise in adhesives and related processes and years experience in debonding on demand. RESCOLL’s objective with the RECREATE project are multiple : Development of its own debonding technologies on new use cases for easy separation of parts, by design; Implementation of laser shock dismantling on end of life parts to foster recycling of existing composite waste; After the project, dissemination of the technologies through direct exploitation or licensing.

Finland, HE, (TAU)

Tampere University brings together research and education in technology, health, and society. Our collaboration with our partners is built on our strengths: unique combinations of scientific disciplines and applied expertise. We develop solutions to tackle climate change, protect the natural environment, and improve the well-being and sustainability of societies. There are 21,000 students and close to 4,000 staff members at Tampere University.

The research group of Plastics and Elastomer Technology focuses on polymeric materials and polymer-based composites with various reinforcements. Our core competence areas are in processing, the characterisation of physical and chemical properties, the testing of mechanical, wear and thermo-electric properties of polymeric materials, modelling, and the simulation of composite and hybrid materials. Our specific focus areas are the degradation of polymeric materials and the science of computational materials.

Our participation in RECREATE is in perfect agreement with these themes, as the project is at the forefront of research and development towards a more sustainable composites industry as a whole. The personnel from our research group involved in the RECREATE project are Pekka Laurikainen and Associate Professor Essi Sarlin, who are experts in the degradation and interfacial characterisation of composite materials with a wide competence in the field, from the chemistry and structure property relationships of the materials to advanced characterisation methods and even simulation.

Via active participation in the RECREATE project – both in our role in developing resizing approaches and other technical solutions in WP3 and in the larger themes of the project – we not only act as a research partner, but will also help to guide the field to where it needs to be in terms of sustainability and, in no small part, the opinions of the general public.

Greece, HE, (UPAT)

The Laboratory of Technology and Strength of Materials (LTSM), part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics of the University of Patras, specialises in the fields of materials science, strength of materials and s is a recognised expert in the fields of modelling, analysis, and characterisation of composite structures and joints. In the tructural analysis. LTSM has participated in more than 85 EC-funded research projects, and has published more than 300 articles. LTSMlast five years, LTSM has been active in the fields of recycling of composite structures (testing and simulation); the life-cycle analysis (LCA) of composite structures and recycled composites; and circularity assessment and enhancement. LTSM’s personnel is composed of 3 Professors, 4 postdocs, 20 PhD students and 40 MSc students.

LTSM’s objectives in RECREATE are the following: firstly, LTSM (UPAT) will develop dedicated digital tools such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and data analytics digital tools that will be used by the demo-case leaders/end-users to accelerate circular technologies. UPAT will apply the digital tools to at least three demonstrators proposed in WP5 to evaluate the degree of enhancement of circularity, and will deliver digital platforms to be utilised by the end-users. Secondly, LTSM (UPAT) will carry out an integrated environmental and socio-economic sustainability assessment (ESESA) to address the environmental, economic and social benefits of the reuse, recycling and remanufacturing processes. In the end-of-life (EoL) analysis, a specific index will be used as a decision support tool for choosing the optimal reuse/recycling process from the alternative technologies proposed for the waste of the demonstrators. This index is a function of the quality of the selected material, the cost of the selected process and the environmental footprint of the process.