Function
To take used offshore wind blades and allow reuse of recycling of their composite materials
What it costs*
The supply chain is yet to be fully established so costs are largely unknown at this stage
Who supplies them
It is likely blade manufacturers will take responsibility for recycling of their blades, although specialist companies may emerge to undertake the processes on their behalf
Key facts
Today, most composite blades cannot be cost-effectively recycled, but significant progress is being made. Leading manufacturers and research consortia are developing new materials and processes to enable full circularity in blade lifecycles.
Blades are typically constructed from glass and carbon fibre embedded in epoxy- or polyester-based resin matrices, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam or balsa wood as filler materials. Steel inserts at the root end provide bolted connections to the blade bearing, and a copper-based lightning protection system is also standard.
Historically, end-of-life blades have been cut up and either incinerated in waste-to-energy or district heating plants, sent to landfill, or repurposed for low-grade applications. However, the first generation of more easily recyclable blades is now in offshore use.
Several major initiatives are accelerating this transition. The ZEBRA project, a collaboration between Arkema, LM Wind Power, Owens Corning, SUEZ, and ENGIE, has demonstrated a closed-loop recycling process using thermoplastic resin. This process enables the recovery and reuse of both resin and glass fibre, with a yield of over 75% for recycled resin and successful reintegration of recovered fibres into new blade materials.
Similarly, the DecomBlades consortium, supported by partners such as Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, LM Wind Power, and Ørsted, has achieved a breakthrough by melting down glass fibre from decommissioned blades into high-quality material suitable for new blade production.
In the UK, the SusWIND programme highlights the ambition to build a domestic supply chain capable of processing all composite waste from wind turbines and other sectors. This includes co-investment in R&D and scaling up recycling infrastructure to meet the growing volume of decommissioned blades.
Many developers are recognising the importance of blade recycling and setting ambitious targets for their supply chain to meet.
These developments mark a turning point in the offshore wind sector’s approach to sustainability, with blade recycling moving from experimental to commercially viable.