The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) has announced the formation of the European Circular Composites Alliance (ECCA), a voluntary initiative aimed at advancing the circularity of composite materials. Since its launch in May 2025, over 160 organisations have joined, underscoring the composites industry’s dedication to the EU’s green transition.
This initiative confirms EuCIA’s belief that achieving circularity in composites requires collaboration across the entire value chain. As a sectorial alliance of EuCIA, the ECCA will provide a platform for knowledge sharing and cooperation, driving collective action to establish sustainable value chains. Aligning with EU policies such as the Green Industrial Deal and the Circular Economy Act — currently under public consultation — is crucial for the Alliance’s success. EuCIA has already initiated dialogue with EU policy officers.
The launch coincides with the European Commission’s increasing focus on circularity, now central to industrial policy and Europe’s competitiveness agenda. The forthcoming Circular Economy Act, expected in 2026, aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and increase recycled material usage.
Composites, with their long service life and options for lifetime extension, are well-suited to a circular economy. However, challenges remain, particularly in scaling sustainable recycling technologies. The ECCA will build on EuCIA’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainability and circularity, aiming to resolve legal, economic, and technical barriers to recycling and boost recycled materials in new products.
Professor Roberto Frassine, President of EuCIA, stated, “With the ECCA we aim to enable effective stakeholder engagement and build consensus within the value chain on the priority actions for the future. We will set measurable, transparent targets to track progress. Alliances such as the ECCA can help shape future legislation and one of our first actions will be to provide the composites industry’s perspective on the new Circular Economy Act.”
JEC Group, a leading media and events organisation, is a founding member of the Alliance. Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC Group, expressed support, saying, “As JEC, we are dedicated to fostering the development of the composites industry worldwide. As a long-standing partner of EuCIA, we fully support this important initiative, which perfectly aligns with our own activities to promote circular solutions in the composites industry. We look forward to collaborating with the ECCA and its members as they take composites circularity to the next level.”
JEC World 2026, scheduled for 10-12 March in Paris, will provide an opportunity for ECCA members to meet and review progress one year after the Alliance’s launch.
The ECCA has established five Working Groups, with initial meetings held in August to develop roadmaps towards circularity. On 4 December, ECCA and EuCIA members, European Commission representatives, and the press will convene in Brussels for the Alliance’s first General Assembly, offering a platform to discuss the ECCA’s goals with EU policymakers and outline the next steps for a sustainable, circular, and competitive future in the European composites industry.
