CEAMS wins the prestigious ‘Sustainability - Circularity’ award at the 2025 Composites UK Industry Awards, recognising a major technical and industrial milestone in composite recycling. 

The award celebrates the CEAMS consortium’s success in reclaiming continuous carbon fibre - one of the most challenging materials to recycle - and proving its reuse in advanced manufacturing processes.  

This is a significant step towards fully circular composite materials and more resilient, lower-carbon UK supply chains. 

The project demonstrated that recycled continuous carbon fibre (rCCF) can be re-used to manufacture structural components, with comparable processability and strength. Trials included weaving, braiding, filament winding and tailored fibre placement - using up to 100% recycled content. 

With global demand for carbon fibre rising fast - particularly in aerospace, clean transport and wind energy - the ability to recover and reuse this material at scale is vital. 

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

The award was presented at the Composites UK Awards Dinner, held during the Advanced Engineering show at the National Motorcycle Museum. 

CEAMS was born from the Rochdale Development Agency’s ambition to integrate national capabilities in materials characterisation, process innovation, and digital validation, delivering tangible benefits for business, people, and the economy. By convening expertise from NCC, NPL and the Henry Royce Institute the programme has established an end-to-end pathway for recycled carbon fibre, from recovery and mechanical integrity preservation to qualification and structural reuse. This nomination reflects the technical depth and collaborative strength that has brought that vision to life. Dr Sarah Want, Innovation Director Unit M, University of Manchester SMMC and CEAMS Lead Rochdale Development Agency

“There’s huge potential here. The team’s proved that recycled fibre can be put back into production without cutting corners. It’s a big step forward - and exactly the kind of practical progress the sector needs.” Said Jack Alcock, CEAMS Technology Creation Lead at NCC 

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