Context of the mission

From October 17 to 21, 2022, REC-N-COMP organised the first exploratory mission of the partnership. It took place in the USA, in California. In addition to the clusters member of REC-N-COMP, 4 SMEs whose activities are related to recycled materials-based composites attended the mission:

• DRP Group from Poland
• Recyc'Elit from France
• EconCore from Belgium
• Manifattura Maiano from Italy

The mission was organise in coincidence with the CAMX exhibition, which is the most important tradeshow for the composites sector in North America. It was a great occasion to promote the activities of European SMEs, and understand better the stakes and current state of the art of the American market.

Visit of the CAMX

The mission began with a visit of the CAMX exhibition. For two days, the participants engaged in a succession of B2B meetings with exhibitors of the fair, and took part in several collective networking activities :

• A meeting with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and Mr. John Schweitzer, Vice President and responsible of Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability
• A dinner with composite expert Prof.Dr.ir. Clement Hiel from Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Participation in activities of the CAMX such as an introductory event to the fair and keynote speeches

Visit of the University of Southern California

The delegation met with Professor Steve Nutt, Professor Travis J. William, and PhD student Zehan Yu. They presented the activities of the M.C. Gill Composites Center of the USC, more specifically their research and projects about the recycling of composite materials. A long-term cooperation is forseen between REC-N-COMP and the University of Southern California.

Conclusion

REC-N-COMP partners and the selected companies participating at the event found very fruitful the CAMX tradeshow for the goals of the mission. It gave the opportunity for a direct contact with US actors in the specific fields of aerospace, aeronautics, automotive and other composites industries and to better understand the differences between the American market and the European one. Thanks to the several meetings and networking opportunities implemented, it has emerged that there is a significant gap between the US and Europe concerning recycling processes and circular economy, for which cooperations could provide solutions.