Fiber-reinforced plastics are the structural materials used in a large variety of consumer and industrial products, but the management of post-use composite products in compliance to the circular economy principles is still a serious challenge.

The DeremCo project aims to establish a systemic, cross-sectorial, Demand-Driven Circular Economy solution that will unlock the cost-effective reuse of post-use composite materials and components in new high-added value products, grounding on the inter-relation between the technical and social eco-systems at local and interregional level and bringing benefit to the environment, industry, consumers and the European society.

Two circular pilot strategies will be followed to meet the consumer requirements:

1. mechanical demanufacturing and hybrid reprocessing,
2. thermo-chemical demanufacturing and textile reprocessing.

In line with new DeremCo Demand-Driven vision the circular valuechain is transformed into a “pull” system, where the requirements and specifications on the materials and components to be re-used are transferred directly from the demand side in terms of characteristics and functionalities of the high added-value products re-using them. To ensure sustainability and continuation, main goals will be to facilitate the industrial uptake within local eco-systems, to de-risk future industrial uptake through private investments and to increase awareness for a more conscious consumer behaviour.

To achieve these goals, Lombardy (Italy), Basque Country (Spain), Tampere (Finland), Slovenia and Upper Austria (Austria) will demonstrate 14 composite re-use business cases with tested sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes, then replicated and multiplicated across European regions, facilitated by a dedicated multi-stakeholder Digital Platform.