Glass Fibre Europe has commissioned PwC – Sustainable Performance and Strategy to prepare a report on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of continuous filament glass fibre (CFGF) products. The updated report is based on 2021 manufacturing data collected by PwC from 11 plants based in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Norway. It covers Glass Fibre Europe members’ production of chopped strands, direct rovings, assembled rovings and mats. These products represent the majority of the reinforcement used in thermosetting and thermoplastic composites applications. The analysis is a cradle-to-gate approach: it is an assessment of the product life cycle impacts from the raw material extraction and manufacture (‘cradle’) to the factory exit gate (i.e. before it is transported to the customer).

“For over a decade, Glass Fibre Europe’s LCA reports have contributed demonstrating the advantages of using composites as sustainable solutions. The report is now updated with the latest available data and methodology, and our member companies hope it will continue promoting the use of LCA methodology through the value chain” says Cédric Janssens, Secretary General of Glass Fibre Europe. Glass Fibre Europe data are going to be shared with the Association of the European Composites Industry (EuCIA) for a future update of the “Eco Impact Calculator for composites”, an online tool calculating the environmental impact of composite products in Europe.

The report shows that, between 2015 and 2021, the European industry has reduced the primary energy consumed to produce 1 kg of continuous filament glass products by 8.1% on average and greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2% on average. In terms of circular economy, 44% of the industry’s production waste has been recycled in 2021, remarkable progress when compared to 26% in 2015.

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