Hexcel, Fairmat agreement bolster U.S. composite recycling efforts

Fiber creel at Hexcel’s Salt Lake City, Utah facility. Source | Hexcel

Hexcel Corp. (Stamford, Conn., U.S.) and Fairmat  (Paris, France) have announced a 10-year agreement to recycle carbon fiber composite materials from Hexcel’s Salt Lake City facility for reuse in composite materials sold into various commercial markets.

Fairmat, an international carbon fiber recycler and material manufacturing company, recently opened its new 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art recycling facility near the Hexcel Salt Lake City site, which is claimed to be home to the largest high-performance carbon fiber manufacturing facility in North America. Under the agreement between both companies, Fairmat will recycle Hexcel’s composite material scrap at this new site.

Similar to the successful collaboration established previously with Hexcel composite material manufacturing sites in Europe, this agreement underscores both companies’ dedication to sustainable solutions and long-term collaboration.

“This is a significant stride toward advancing sustainability in our carbon fiber industry,” says Benjamin Saada, founder and CEO of Fairmat. "With our state-of-the-art Utah facility, office and the U.S. leadership team in place, we are ready to work closely with our long-term partner, Hexcel Corp.”

The Hexcel team is eager to expand its existing relationship with Fairmat in the U.S. at its Salt Lake City manufacturing site, according to Philippe Chevrier, president – Americas & Global Fibers, Hexcel. “Hexcel is strongly committed to responsible environmental stewardship, not only by reducing carbon emissions through the use of our lightweight composite materials on commercial aircraft, but also by reducing landfill waste of scrap materials,” Chevrier says. “Hexcel has a robust carbon fiber recycling program in place, and this latest agreement with Fairmat to recycle composite materials expands our efforts and bolsters our shared commitment to sustainability.”

Hexcel has established several long-term sustainability goals and targets to be achieved by 2030, including a reduction of 30% of waste to landfill.