Organizational issues for disseminating recycling technologies of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics in the Japanese industrial landscape

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are used for structural materials in the aircraft and automotive industries due to their lightweight and high strength characteristics. Up until now, Japanese companies have been considered as superior to others in this field because they have sophisticated technologies for the development of high-quality virgin carbon fiber (CF). However, in recent years, especially in the general industry, there has been a demand for inexpensive products that places more importance on price than on quality. Under such circumstances, though the disposal of CFRP is difficult, the recycling business is still virtually unestablished especially in Japan and waste CFRP has been mostly landfilled. Concerns about the effects of CF (dust/milled) on human health and ecosystems also gradually increase. As a result of the organizational issues associated with the commercialization of CFRP recycling technology in the Japanese industrial landscape, it is important to scientifically elucidate the anxiety of the effects of CF (dust/milled) generated during industrial processes including recycling on people and ecosystems before using CFRP recycled products on an industrial scale and distribute appropriate information, confirmed on scientific grounds, so that even ordinary citizens can feel safe and secure with the cyclic use of CF.