National Coorporation Agenda on Composites is available!

At the JEC World 2019, the sector presented the National Composites Collaboration Agenda, in close cooperation between the private sector, the public sector, research institutions, and the top sectors HTSM and Chemistry. For the first time, the innovation activities in the Netherlands have been combined in a single agenda at a national level, creating more unity and improved mutual alignment, putting the Dutch composites sector internationally in a stronger position.

Additionally, the National Composites Collaboration Agenda aims to achieve even better collaboration. Composites involve many industries, with applications in many market sectors, from aerospace to deep-sea offshore, from maritime to automotive, and from bridges to consumer products. All these applications require the use of different materials, designs and production technologies, of course, but the various parties also face similar challenges. We can also learn a lot by collaborating across industry borders.

The ambition of this agenda is to make a material contribution to a more sustainable society, and to set an example internationally. The low weight of composite materials enables reduction of energy consumption. Prof. Dr. Engr. Rinze Benedictus, head of the Aerospace Structures & Materials department at the Delft University of Technology, explains: “If we reduce the weight of the structure of aeroplanes by 10% using materials developed in the Netherlands, such as fibre-metal laminates or thermoplastics, and use this in single-aisle aircraft, we can achieve a worldwide CO2 reduction equal to 50% of the emission in the Netherlands in 2016. We have demonstrated that a 10% weight reduction is a realistic expectation.”

Composites have a longer lifespan than conventional materials, thus lowering the ecological impact of the products. The Netherlands can play a leading role in this; we have all the required knowledge and skills. In addition to helping the Netherlands, it also creates a great product for the export market.

You can download the agenda here.