The REFRESH project is the focus of a LinkedIn Live event on 28th April at 11:00-12.30 CEST.

The Project Live Talk Advancing wind turbine blade circularity is being organised by Ilkay Özkisaoglu and Composites Lounge, in partnership with REFRESH partner EuCIA.

The event will also be streamed live on YouTube.

WATCH THE REPLAY

Europe’s wind industry is accelerating its transition toward a fully circular value chain. While ~90% of a wind turbine’s mass is already recyclable, wind turbine blades remain the sector’s biggest end‑of‑life challenge due to their durable composite structure. As Europe moves toward increasing decommissioning volumes – expected to reach 55,000 tonnes of blade material annually by 2030 – scalable solutions for reuse, repurposing, and recycling are urgently needed.

The REFRESH project (Smart dismantling, sorting and REcycling of glass Fibre REinforced composite from wind power Sector through Holistic approach) is addressing this challenge across the entire value chain. The consortium is developing and scaling up technologies for smarter dismantling, shredding, sorting, mechanical and thermal recycling, microwave‑assisted processes, conversion of non‑recyclable dusts, new product design using secondary materials, and advanced sustainability and traceability tools.

This LinkedIn Live session brings together 11 experts from across Europe, each representing one key link of the REFRESH value chain. The REFRESH partners will share their role in the project, their technical contributions, and their vision for achieving circularity in composite materials.

Objectives

  • Present the mission, activities, and expected impact of the REFRESH project.
  • Introduce each partner’s contribution across dismantling, recycling, new product development, sustainability analysis, and traceability.
  • Highlight motivations of consortium members and the innovation potential for Europe’s wind industry.
  • Engage the audience through a closing ‘Call to Action’ round.
  • Offer a space for live questions and expert insights.

Panelists

  • Raphaël Pleynet, Managing Director, EuCIA — Communication & dissemination lead.
  • Daniel Grisenti, Project Manager, RINA Consulting — Project coordination.
  • Jean‑Baptiste Strehaiano, Wind Power Business Manager, ETAT9 — Smart blade cutting solution.
  • Giorgio Betteto, R&D CTO, GEES Recycling — Mechanical recycling into structural panels.
  • Marcin Rusin, CEO, Gjenkraft — Advanced thermal recycling recovering glass fibres.
  • Gonzalo Murillo Ciordia, Researcher, CIRCE — Microwave‑assisted pyrolysis & solvolysis.
  • Jan Kašpar, CTO, Enecolab — Thermochemical conversion of non‑recyclable dusts to syngas.
  • Andrea Tinti, Senior Researcher, CETMA — New products using secondary materials.
  • Anurag Bansal, Head of Strategic Innovations, ACCIONA Construction — Integrating recycled materials into construction applications.
  • Ioana Muntean, Sustainability & ESG Consultant, RINA Consulting — LCA of recycling processes and final products.
  • David García Estevez, Senior Research Manager, TECNALIA — Blockchain‑based traceability platform & decision‑making algorithm.

Livestream structure

  • Introduction: Overview of composites circularity today and the ambition of REFRESH, led by EuCIA.
  • Panel round: Each expert introduces themselves and their organisation, their role in REFRESH, their goals, and the potential impact of their work on the wind energy and composites industries.
  • Call‑to‑Action round: Each panelist poses a question to the audience.
  • Q&A: Audience interaction and final remarks.

Why attend?

Whether you work in wind energy, composites, recycling technologies, sustainability, LCA, or circular economy strategy, this session gives you a rare opportunity to:

  • Understand one of Europe’s most comprehensive wind turbine blade recycling projects;
  • Hear directly from the engineers, researchers and innovators involved in the work;
  • Explore new value‑chain opportunities in circular composites;
  • Engage live with the REFRESH consortium.

Join us to explore how Europe is turning a major sustainability challenge into a multi‑sector innovation opportunity.

WATCH THE REPLAY