COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

Sustainability and questions it raises regarding the effects materials, products and processes have on the environment is a major current topic and one that influences all aspects of business.  The automotive and electronic industries have already implemented current regulations on recycling and CO2 emissions. Demands on the use of sustainable materials and products in the building industry amongst others are now gaining pace too.

The effects that composites have on the environment are also subject to scrutiny.  In response to this trend the AVK (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V. (The Association of Reinforced Plastics)) took the initiative and formed a “Sustainability” team last year. The objective is to create a platform to discuss experiences and to learn more about the real impact composites are having on the environment and in turn the risks and opportunities they present us with. It is hoped that an evaluation of composites as an eco-efficient solution will be the outcome.

Gabriel Thomas from Ticona GmbH, also The Managing Director of the AVK and Ben Drogt from DSM Composite Resins are the initiators of this team. 
The International AVK Conference traditionally marks the beginning of the COMPOSITES EUROPE.  This is the place where 500 international experts spend two days talking about relevant subjects regarding fibre-reinforced materials.

Also exhibiting at CE 2010 is the French company Nidaplast Composites, the designer of extruded polypropylene honeycomb materials, and who is a leader in terms of sustainable development.  Nidaplast’s goal is the reduction of greenhouse emissions and will therefore reveal a “CO2 balance sheet” for the first time showing the level of CO2 emitted during the life-time of thermo-plastic honeycomb structures.

The honeycombs are light-weight (95% hollow space) and are sandwiched between two panels, thereby making this sandwich structure economical and environmentally friendly. “Nidaplast honeycombs provide advantages for the protection of the environment: firstly their consumption of raw materials is low, and secondly they are lightweight. These factors contribute to lowering the level of greenhouse gases emitted during manufacture and also during transport,” explains Luc Nuttens, the company’s Head of Product Development.

The “CO2 balance sheet” confirms Nidapast’s commitment to providing its clients with solutions in the field of environmentally-friendly design. The “CO2 balance-sheet” was developed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency ADEME and is a standardised method for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions resulting directly or indirectly from an activity.

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