The COMPASS project will recover aircraft and automotive waste to manufacture new products for strategic sectors | from Mexico Industrial
The European COMPASS project, funded under Horizon Europe, aims to recover high-value waste from the aerospace and automotive sectors — specifically end-of-life aircraft sheet metal and thermoplastic composite panels — to manufacture new, strategic products. Central to this initiative is AITIIP Technology Centre, which contributes its expertise in remanufacturing and advanced material processes.
Through a consortium of 13 partners, COMPASS is developing innovative disassembly technologies, as well as a Digital Product Passport to trace each component’s life cycle and optimize its reuse. The project targets a 30% reduction in waste generation from production and end-of-life stages in the aerospace and automotive industries, converting discarded parts into high-quality, remanufactured components.
Economically, COMPASS could unlock a commercial value of approximately €60 million/year from metallic scrap (30,000 tonnes) and €500 million/year from composite materials (10,000 tonnes) by 2035.
For AITIIP, its role involves developing thermoforming processes (pressing, heating, tooling) to reshape used thermoplastic composite panels into new parts, thereby giving them a second life beyond landfill.
COMPASS represents a clear step toward a circular economy in high-tech manufacturing: reducing raw material consumption, minimizing waste, and extending the value of industrial components across their life cycles.