Assessing techno-economic strategies to implement circular business models: the case of fiber-reinforced thermoset polymers

We review the most recent techno-economic studies on the strategies for recycling Fiber-Reinforced Thermoset Polymers (FRPs) and we provide insights on the related issues which must be addressed in the assessment of the solutions to valorize them. We stress the need to adopt a demand-pull, entrepreneurial approach aimed to discover valuable industrial applications of the recovered materials on which to base appropriate techno-economic solutions, i.e. viable business models. We emphasize that, to start, public action is required to regulate the recycling process and, rebus sic stantibus, to change players’ incentives and to coordinate their actions within the value chains involved.