The Advanced Materials business of Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Limited and UK-based Plaswire Ltd have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly establish sustainable thermoset composite recycling ecosystems across key global markets. The collaboration brings together complementary expertise in advanced epoxy technologies and composite recycling to address the growing challenge of end-of-life composite waste.
Thermoset composites are strong, engineered materials made by combining a reinforcing fiber with a liquid polymer resin that hardens permanently through an irreversible chemical reaction. They offer lightness, durability and strength and are used across industries such as wind energy, transportation, construction, aerospace and industrial manufacturing. However, these materials are not recyclable at their end-of-life and are either sent to landfills or incinerated, leading to pollution.
Aditya Birla’s proprietary Recyclamine® technology enable the reinforcing fiber and the liquid polymer resin to separate out and be recycled, thus solving a major sustainability problem faced by the industry.
By leveraging Plaswire’s capabilities in creating commercial solutions to waste products, the collaboration will establish a recycling setup that supports material recovery, resource efficiency and the transition towards a circular economy.
“Creating a circular composites industry requires us to think beyond individual products and look across the entire value chain. Recyclamine® allows manufacturers to incorporate recyclability at the material at design stage and build sustainability into the life of the composite. Together with Plaswire, we are developing integrated, scalable recycling ecosystems that help transform composite waste into valuable resources.” said Rajesh Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Materials, Aditya Birla Group.
Andrew Billingsley, Chief Executive Officer, Plaswire Ltd. said, “The future of recycling is not simply about processing more waste; it is about creating scalable, commercially viable models that turn waste into valuable resources and make circularity work at industrial scale. Together, we are taking a significant step towards enabling circularity in composites.”
