CEAMS wins Composites UK award for successful continuous rCF reclamation

Source | CEAMS

The Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS, Rochdale, U.K.) won the “Sustainability - Circularity” award at the 2025 Composites UK Industry Awards, an annual event hosted by Composites UK that coincides with the Advanced Engineering Show (AES). The award celebrates the CEAMS consortium’s success in reclaiming continuous carbon fiber (rCCF) — reported to be one of the most challenging materials to recycle — and proving its reuse in advanced manufacturing processes.  

CEAMS’ project demonstrated that rCCF can be reused to manufacture structural components with comparable processability and strength. Trials included weaving, braiding, filament winding and tailored fiber placement (TFP) using up to 100% recycled content. This is a significant step toward fully circular composite materials and more resilient, lower-carbon U.K. supply chains. 

CEAMS brings together several organizations in sustainable materials innovation: Rochdale Development Agency, the NCC, Henry Royce Institute and NPL, with contributions from AMRC, Cygnet Texkimp, University of Nottingham and Ulster University. 

“This shows what’s possible when we bring the right people and ideas together,” says Dr. Sarah Want, innovation director at Unit M, University of Manchester. “Recycled carbon fiber isn’t just a nice idea — it works. We’ve put it through real processes, with real results. Now we want to see it used more widely across U.K. manufacturing.”

CEAMS is now seeking to expand collaboration with industry, academia and government to accelerate uptake of recycled fiber and unlock a more sustainable future for U.K. composites.