Published 1/20/2023

Fujitsu, Teijin start joint trials to promote value of recycled carbon fiber

Three-month trials with German bicycle manufacturers will lead to new platform implementation to promote use of recycled materials, enable emissions tracing/management.

Edited by: Grace Nehls

Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld

On Jan. 19, Fujitsu Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) and Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo) announced the launch of a joint project running from January to March 2023 to enhance the environmental value of recycled resources in the production of bicycle frames. Joint trials will include V Frames GmbH (Schmiedefeld), a German manufacturer and distributor of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bicycle frames, and bicycle manufacturer E Bike Advanced Technologies GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany).

As part the trials, Teijin and Fujitsu will leverage a blockchain-based commercial platform launched in July 2022 to promote the sustainable use of recycled fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials, as well as trace and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the bicycle industry.

By implementing a business model that maximizes the environmental value from recycled materials, Teijin and Fujitsu aim to contribute to the further development of the carbon fiber recycling market and the realization of a circular economy. Following the successful conclusion of the joint trials, Teijin and Fujitsu will promote the implementation of the new platform, with the aim of commercialization in fiscal 2023. The two parties will also further promote discussions and field trials with partner companies and organizations that support this initiative and will work to contribute to the realization of a circular economy by supporting the growth of the recycling market in various industries.

Bicycle manufacturing industry background

In Europe, many bicycle manufacturers use frames manufactured in Asia, and many of these frames are also ultimately disposed of in landfills in Asia. Energy consumption during long-distance transportation of resources including materials and used frames across the supply chain represents one major reason why resources are often not recycled and disposed of in a sustainable manner. In order to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions from its business operations, V Frames uses local resources in Germany and recycles used frames in its bicycle production.

Within this joint project, Teijin and Fujitsu will conduct trials together with V Frames and Advanced Bikes to visualize the results of V Frames’ efforts to reduce GHG emissions in its production process, with the aim to foster a shared awareness towards the environmental value of recycled materials within the environmentally conscious bicycle industry and industries handling carbon fibers.

“Cycling forward with bike frame materials and processes” provides an outlook for the CFRP bicycle frame manufacturing environment.

Future visions and goals include:

The creation of “digital twins” to manage resources: Information about resources (their location, condition, environmental impact, etc.) used/generated in the business operations from the recycling to sales process of bicycle frames will be uploaded and provided on the platform to create digital replications (digital twins) of physical resources and manage information on their condition. Using blockchain technology, the platform will also offer past data on the condition of resources.
Disclosure and utilization of data: Data from the platform can be used to share information on resources (origin of resources, etc.) with bicycle users, or be used by various stakeholders in their carbon management; data on the platform can further be used as proof for the successful realization of a resource cycle and applied for future ESG investment evaluations or as credits.

Throughout this project Teijin will support the environmental assessment across the different processes and engagement of stakeholders; Fujitsu will implement the blockchain platform based on the Fujitsu Track and Trust digital ledger technology and development of tool for visualization and provision of tracked data; and V Frames and Advanced Bikes will upload environmental impact information for different operational processes within the company to the platform, as well as review the data collection and visualization process.