Owens Corning and Gjenkraft join to accelerate the circularity of composites

Beyond material reuse, the two companies aim to industrialise thermolysis technology to make it more competitive and efficient on a large scale, and to build complete circular chains integrating the collection, recycling and reintegration of composites throughout their life cycle.

” Our advanced recycling approach, using thermolysis, is transforming how composite waste can be managed, converting it into valuable secondary raw materials for industry,” said Arvid Lønne, co-founder of Gjenkraft AS. “Collaborating with Owens Corning is a key step forward in demonstrating that recycled composite materials can be reintegrated into a variety of products. It gives us the opportunity to scale up our technology and make a meaningful sustainability impact across many industries.”

For Chris Skinner, vice president of strategic marketing and R&D for Owens Corning’s glass reinforcements business, “by incorporating recovered and recycled glass fiber into composites materials, we can demonstrate the real-world circularity of composites. This enables us to provide our customers with the solutions they need to meet growing regulatory and consumer demands for recycled content.”

Launch of the first plant

This partnership comes as Gjenkraft inaugurates its first commercial plant in Høyanger, in the Norwegian county of Vestland. This facility has an annual capacity of 2,800 tonnes of composite waste processed, mainly from end-of-life wind turbine blades. It marks the transition from the development phase to industrial production. Thanks to NOK 60 million (approximately €5 million and $6 million) in funding from European Horizon funds (REFRESH project), Innovation Norway and regional investors, Gjenkraft plans to reach a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year across several European sites by 2035.

The technology developed by Gjenkraft is based on a thermolysis process that breaks down composite waste into recyclable glass and carbon fibres, oils, gases and metals. This process recovers nearly 100% of the components, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with incineration and eliminating the landfilling of composite waste. The integration of these secondary materials into Owens Corning’s production lines paves the way for composites with recycled content that are more sustainable and aligned with European environmental objectives.