FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Johannesburg, South Africa (April 1, 2025) – Sustainability is not just a buzzword in building, it’s a key driver of innovation for manufacturers such as Eva-Last, looking to develop new composite products that improve the eco-friendliness and lifespan of building materials.
As regulators and policymakers tighten controls over our building activities in terms of resources and renewables, emissions and waste, the days of “Profits over Planet” are numbered. Manufacturers may have to account for the materials they produce, their use, and ultimately, disposal at the end of their useful life.
THE CASE FOR COMPOSITES
Composite building materials such as carbon fibre, fibreglass and polymer matrix compounds are finding favour in construction over traditional wood, steel and concrete for their enhanced performance properties, versatility and durability.
Creative combinations comprising new lightweight materials including graphene, glass fibre or aluminium, provide superior strength-to-weight ratios, outstanding wear characteristics and longevity for building materials, reducing the need for repair or replacement and ultimately, unnecessary production.
Material engineering and composite production capitalises on the chemical characteristics of its components including flex, shear or torsion, strength, heat or water-resistance, and other inherent benefits such as pesticidal or anti-bacterial properties. These offer significant advantages in the built environment.
In addition, carefully considered raw material combinations – such as renewables over non-renewables, mixed with recycled content, can also contribute to resource efficiency, waste reduction, improved energy-efficiency and lowered carbon emissions.
Modern composites such as the advanced bamboo polymers developed by Eva-Last evolved from petroleum-based resins combined with reclaimed timber fibres (WPC) into recycled plastics extruded with renewable, bio-degradable fibres such as bamboo (BPC).
This composition reduces their reliance on non-renewable raw materials, decreasing environmental degradation while simultaneously reducing plastic waste.
A COMPOUND PROBLEM – WHAT’S NEXT?
However outstanding the performance of composites in construction, the energy-intensive production processes coupled with the complexities surrounding their recycling and disposal present significant challenges when considering their sustainability from “cradle-to-grave”.
These challenges provide a focal point to guide composite product development in our quest for a truly circular economy.
Future composite product development must balance performance demands against environmental responsibility to align with sustainability principles.
Future composites, particularly thermoset polymers, present an opportunity for more energy-efficient manufacturing techniques. Their curing and moulding requirements are currently very energy-intensive and alternative processes such as resin infusion technology, driven by renewable energy sources such as solar or wind should be explored.
Further waste reduction techniques and combinations should also be investigated and implemented.
A full Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) of composites identifies logistical and financial implications for mechanical or chemical polymer recycling.
Their upliftment and collection for recycling at the End-of-Life (however durable or long-lasting) would need to be localised to minimise transportation. This points to the potential for repurposing or reuse as a preferable option.
“Off-cuts or aged Eva-Last composites are upcycled and reworked into different products such as planter boxes, outdoor seating or storage containers,” says Gerhard van Deventer, Outdoor Product Manager at Eva-Last.
The necessary sorting, cleaning and separation of their chemical bonds and additives, present further complications resulting in material degradation only suitable for reuse in lower-grade products such as backing or fillers. Advanced chemical engineering techniques for thermal decomposition such as pyrolysis combined with mechanical recycling to separate fibres from resins point to opportunities to recycle and remanufacture composites in future.
Finally, their disposal into landfills or incineration points leads to the necessity to develop biodegradable or recyclable composites using bio-based polymers and green synthesis for nanoparticles. This will limit greenhouse gas emissions and pollution using renewable energy sources.
AN EVA-LAST SOLUTION
Eva-Last is at the forefront of composite product development, incorporating the latest material science and manufacturing technology to ensure sustainability. The company integrates environmentally friendly practices from production onward, minimizing the ecological footprint of its composite decks, beams, cladding, fencing, rails, and flooring—delivering innovation with a greener future in mind.
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