An EVI ski on the REFRESH booth at JEC World.

On the REFRESH booth at JEC World 2025, Gjenkraft displayed a pair of skis manufactured using fibres recovered from end-of-service wind turbine blades. This innovative demonstration of circularity was developed in a collaboration with EVI ski and Vattenfall.

As part of the REFRESH project, Gjenkraft is further developing the composites recycling process in operation at its plant in Høyanger, Norway. The advanced thermal treatment process enables the recovery of glass fibres, carbon fibres and synthetic fuels from wind blades.

Gjenkraft is also actively working with the REFRESH partners and industry players to demonstrate potential applications for the recycled materials.

In Gjenkraft’s collaboration with Norwegian ski manufacturer EVI, known for its innovative use of recycled materials, and Swedish company Vattenfall, a leader in sustainable energy solutions, 15 pairs of skis have been developed for testing.

The high-quality skis, including alpine skis, carving skis and one pair of race skis, are reinforced with carbon fibres extracted from decommissioned blades. Vattenfall sent blades from a Dutch wind farm to Norway for processing.

The new skis were also presented at the World Cup Women’s slalom held on 8-9 March in Åre. Visitors were invited to try the skis on a test course.

Circularity is essential

In a press release issued on 3 March, Vattenfall notes that using decommissioned wind turbine blades to create high-performance skis showcases the potential of circular economy principles and offers new inspiration to increase sustainability in the sports industry.

“Circularity is essential to securing future resource needs, reducing costs, and achieving our sustainability targets,” says Gustav Frid, Environment & Sustainability Specialist at Vattenfall. “By moving from a linear take-make-waste economy to a circular economy, we can close the loop and use materials again through recycling. This project perfectly illustrates how technology provides a sustainable alternative to traditional ski-making materials. We hope it will inspire others and foster new ideas for accelerating circularity.”

Wind turbine blades waiting for processing at Gjenkraft’s plant.

Vattenfall has banned the landfilling of turbine blades from decommissioned wind farms since 2021. By 2030, it wants to ensure that all blades from decommissioned wind turbines can be recycled. Partnerships like those with Gjenkraft and Evi ski are key to this plan.

Marcin Rusin, co-founder of Gjenkraft, said: “Our goal has always been to demonstrate that this issue can be resolved. We already had the technology to recover valuable raw materials from composite waste, the next step was to find a high-end product that would appeal to the public. As a Norwegian company with team members who are enthusiastic about skiing, deciding to manufacture skis was a natural fit. We are very excited to see this concept come to fruition.”

Read more about the ‘blades to skis’ project on the Vattenfall website.

Sustainable processing of blade waste

The REFRESH project is helping Gjenkraft to acheive its goals of promoting the sustainable processing of composite waste from wind turbine blades, developing collaborations with partners with shared interests and objectives, and further developing its recycling technology.

“In the REFRESH project, our primary focus is on enhancing the quality of fibres derived from our recycling process,” says Marcin Rusin. “This particular aspect has captured the interest of our project partners, who are keen on obtaining these improved fibres from us for testing.”

Fibres recovered from blades.

“We anticipate concluding the project with a diverse array of innovative products, all crafted from materials derived from our recycling process.”

Read more in our Meet the Partners article focused on Gjenkraft.