GFK – A High-Quality Plastic
Thermosets, such as fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP), have excellent properties. They are inexpensive to manufacture, very stable, durable, lightweight, and weather-resistant. Because of these characteristics, they are used in numerous industries.
Its use is widespread in the boating industry. Since the 1970s and 1980s, a large proportion of sailing and motor yachts have been manufactured from this composite material. Accordingly, several hundred thousand recreational boats have been produced and sold in recent years. The service life of such a fiberglass boat is approximately 50 years. The boom in boat sales began in the 1970s, which is why numerous boats will reach their “end-of-life” (EOL) in the coming years and require sustainable disposal.
In addition to recreational boats, wind turbine blades are also manufactured from GRP components. Because the energy of the future is expected to come from renewable sources, there will be an increasing focus on wind energy (e.g., offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea). Since wind turbines are expected to have a service life of approximately 20 years, more and more of them will reach the end of their life (EOL) in the coming years and will need to be disposed of properly.
The industrial sector also uses GRP in large quantities as a construction material for pipes, profiles, automotive components, etc. The manufacture of GRP products generates production waste, which is estimated to account for about 10% of the annual production volume.
Growing Demand for Recycling Solutions
Due to the outstanding properties of glass-fiber-reinforced plastics, their production has been rising steadily for several years. In 2024, more than 983K metric tons of this material were produced across Europe. At the same time, the volume of GFRP components reaching the end of their life (EOL) and requiring disposal is also increasing. Already today, more than 300,000 metric tons of FRP waste must be disposed of annually in Europe, and these volumes are expected to rise significantly in the future.
Because this issue was largely overlooked in the past, there is currently a waste disposal problem that threatens to worsen. Sustainable GRP recycling is therefore urgently needed. To date, however, no recycling method that aligns with the principles of a circular economy has yet established itself on the market.
That's where we come in. True to our name, we seek innovative and sustainable solutions to create something new from something old.
