MC4: A P4Planet Project for a Circular Future

Read all the A.SPIRE Success Stories here. 

From Waste to Circular Solutions

Context

Carbon and glass fibre composites are widely used in aerospace, automotive, urban furniture, sports equipment, boat-building and civil engineering. Their high performance and lightweight properties make them indispensable across sectors. However, at the end of their lifecycle, they generate a significant amount of waste. The recycling of fibre-reinforced composites is difficult.

MC4: A P4Planet Project

Funded by  Horizon Europe, under a P4Planet call, MC4 (full title Multi-level Circular Process Chain for Carbon and Glass Fibre Composites) was a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) designed to address that reality. The project started in April 2022 and ended in March 2025. The mission of MC4 was to  provide industrial solutions for the recycling of composites based on carbon and glass fibres,developing a circular process chain and supporting European processes and materials independence, and reducing CO₂ emissions.

Goals and Vision

The central objective of MC4 was to increase recycling rates for fibre-reinforced composites to at least 60%. Current recycling rates are at 15%.

To achieve this, the project developed four major demonstrators, each showing different pathways for recycling carbon and glass fibre composites.

Implementation and Potential Impact: Four Demonstrators and Promising CO₂ Emissions Reduction

The four demonstrators reached different levels of maturity.

“The most mature achieved Technology Readiness Level 8 and will enter into series production. The least mature reached TRL 5 to 6 at the laboratory scale”, the project team informed us. All demonstrators are up and running.

The innovation shows the capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if implemented: 

• Producing 1 kg of virgin carbon fibre generates around 21.3 kg of CO₂ equivalent. Through the recycling processes developed in the project, this could be reduced by 50%.

Societal Contribution

Beyond its technical achievements, MC4 contributed to raising awareness among the general public that composite parts still have environmental difficulties. By demonstrating practical solutions, the project supports a broader understanding of materials circularity. 

The consortium included six SMEs, and 30% of the leading positions in the project were held by women.

Success Story

Asked what makes MC4 unique, the answer lies in its contribution to circular economy objectives. The project has demonstrated that Class A automotive composite parts can be manufactured from secondary materials.

A.SPIRE considers MC4 a success story because it delivered operational demonstrators and validated circular pathways. By demonstrating the potential to reduce CO2 equivalent emissions, MC4 contributes to Europe’s energy-intensive industries' transition towards circularity. The MC4 ambition is closely aligned with the objective of closing material loops and advancing circular value chains set out in the Processes4Planet Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

Visit the MC4 project’s website for videos, scientific publications, project results and public deliverables.

For more information about A.SPIRE, the Processes4Planet Partnership, and the Success Stories, contact the team.

Watch the video below to learn more about MC4.