Next generation recycling
for composites
At Composite Recycling, our approach to the recycling of composites features innovative new technology and services calibrated to each customer’s specific needs.
Our Solution for Sustainable FRP Recycling
Bringing circularity to composite waste
Thermolysis is a technique in which heat is applied in an oxygen-free environment to separate the fibres from the resin found in fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) like fibreglass and carbon fibre.
At Composite Recycling we recycle FRP waste with a proprietary static thermolysis process and post-treatment, which together maximize the quality, consistency and reusability of the process outputs (fibres, thermolysis oil and gas).
From pilot to industrial scale
Our process separates fibres from resin by thermolysis in a sealed oven, one batch at a time, so the recipe can be tuned to each waste stream. The composite is inerted with nitrogen and heated in stages between 350 and 550 °C; the resin vapours are condensed into thermolysis oil, the non-condensable gases fuel the burners and the surplus is thermally oxidised, and a finishing treatment prepares the clean fibres for re-use.
A 1 t/day pilot unit has been operating in Ecublens since the third quarter of 2025; its core process is at technology readiness level 7. In 2026–27 it is being upgraded — automation, safety and a new gas-treatment line — and moved to France, ahead of a first 4,000 t/yr industrial unit operated by Composite Recycling, planned for 2028. The same plant design is then replicated at partner sites: the partner hosts the installation and brings the waste; we supply the technology, operate the process with our own staff and market the recovered materials.
One patent family protects the process (priority 6 December 2021; PCT WO 2023/104837, in national phase in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan and India).
Calibrated to our clients’ needs
We carefully calibrate our reactors so that the reclaimed fibres and thermolysis oil meet the required specifications of our downstream manufacturing clients, who can then recombine them to make new composite materials, plastics, and resins – usually with no retooling needed.
Composite manufacturers can also call upon us for guidance when developing new composite products, to ensure a robust recycling solution is available at the product’s end-of-life.
Calibrated to our clients’ needs
We carefully calibrate our reactors so that the reclaimed fibres and thermolysis oil meet the required specifications of our downstream manufacturing clients, who can then recombine them to make new composite materials, plastics, and resins – usually with no retooling needed.
Composite manufacturers can also call upon us for guidance when developing new composite products, to ensure a robust recycling solution is available at the product’s end-of-life.
Start your recycling journey with us.
As a first step, submit your waste materials to determine the recoverability and evaluate the quality of the outputs.
The test results will also enable you to demonstrate the recyclability potential of your products to internal and external stakeholders, and to start formulating real end-of-life solutions.
Client Testing
We offer a range of tests to suit our customers’ needs, and have already performed more than 450 recyclability tests for clients in the marine, aerospace, automobile, sporting goods, chemical and other industries.
Get in touch and we can help you determine which is right for your organisation.
What makes our solution different and better?
“The judges decided to award the win to the Beneteau Group for its collaboration with Composite Recycling and Chomarat because it provides an answer to one of the largest issues of all – creating a viable second use option within the industry for the millions of GRP hulls manufactured in the last 60 years.”
IBI METSTRADE 2023 Boat Builder Awards Judges’ summary