Events
Conferences & Workshops
BLADES2BUILD First Workshop in Turkey
We are pleased to announce that the first BLADES2BUILD Workshop, “Wind Energy Turbine Blade Recycling”, took place in Bayrakli-Izmir, Turkey, on 3 November 2023.
The workshop was hosted by our partner RENAO Consulting LLC together with JIDEP EU project and Izmir Development Agency, with more than 100 participants from the wind energy sector!
At an international level, the workshop had Turkish representatives of companies such as NORTHEL Mekatronik A.Ş., Nordex Group, and REMONDIS Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, the Metropolitan Municipality of Izmir as well as the Horizon Europe Country Coordinator, TÜBİTAK, also attended.
The agenda can be found here.
More events are coming soon, stay tuned!
BLADES2BUILD International Symposium in Greece
Our coordinator DTU- Technical University of Denmark, organised an International Symposium on “Current challenges of wind energy development: Materials science and structural aspects” in the framework of BLADES2BUILD.
3 days, 10 sessions, 36 presentations, and more than 40 people from all over the world enjoyed our symposium!
Our sister project REFRESH was also there!
The symposium took place in Athens, Greece from the 13th to the 15th of May.
Thank you to all participants of the event and a big thank you to the organisers Leon Mishnaevsky Jr. and Alexandros Antoniou!
BLADES2BUILD Special Session inside the ‘Waste to Materials in Building and Construction: Conference for Young Researchers and Professionals’
Our coordinator DTU- Technical University of Denmark, organised a special session, inside the ‘Waste to Materials in Building and Construction: Conference for Young Researchers and Professionals’ organised by young researchers for young researchers!
The conference brought together both young and experienced researchers, along with speakers from academia and industry, facilitating a variety of discussions and activities.
Our sister projects were also invited. Refresh and EoLO-HUBs projects participated with their young researchers and keynote speeches!
The event took place from 11th to 13th September 2024 in DTU Sustain, in Denmark.
Thank you to all participants of the event and a big thank you to the organisers from DTU Sustain and Ms.
Summer Schools
Joint BLADES2BUILD & CIRCULess Summer School!
📍Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
📅 13–15 August 2025
Developing Circular Construction Materials
This two-day programme was tailored for PhD candidates, researchers, academic professionals, who are engaged in research on sustainable construction materials, material reuse, and the circular economy. This dynamic and hands-on program brought together students, researchers, and professionals to explore cutting-edge developments in “Developing circular construction materials”. Through lab exercises, lectures, and networking sessions, participants gained unique insights into sustainability, recycling techniques, material testing, and design for circularity in the built environment, all driven by the innovations of the BLADES2BUILD & CIRCULess projects.
Participants explored innovative approaches to C&D waste and industrial waste recycling (concrete recycling, carbonation methods, steel slags) with exposure to real projects in circular construction, with a strong emphasis on practical applications and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The programme included:
-
Expert lectures from leading researchers in circular materials
-
Hands-on workshops on shorting and reuse techniques
-
Interactive sessions exploring real-world case studies
-
Networking opportunities with researchers across Europe
Full program:
| August 13 | Activity | Content | Building, room |
| 16:00 – 17:30 | Early registration/ Networking | Registration and introduction of the participants / Networking | Vertigo, 7.08 |
| August 14 | |||
| Time | Activity | Content | Building, room |
| 9:00 – 10:40 | Kick-off lectures | 9:00-9:15 Introduction to Developing Circular Construction Materials Summer School – Safety Instructions
9:15-9:35 Florent Gauvin, Nataliya Lushnikova. BLADES2BUILD: Circular materials with wind turbine blades waste 9:35-9:55 Winnie Franco Santos. CIRCULess: Upcycling C&D mineral and timber-based waste 9:55-10:10 Tao Liu. Role of Polyester in Alkali-Activated Slag and Wind Turbine Blade Waste Composites: An NMR Study 10:10-10:25 Charilaos Paraskevoulakos. Investigating valorisation of end-of-life wind turbine blade waste into cement-based materials using X-ray Computed Tomography 10:25-10:40 Yan Luo. Unlocking the carbonation process of recycled concrete powders: An industrial case study |
Vertigo, 7.08 |
| 10:40 – 11:00 | Coffe break | ||
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Networking | Presentations of the participants’ research (3-slide presentation) | Vertigo, 7.08 |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch break | ||
| 13:00 – 16:00 | Workshops (in small groups of 5-6 persons) | A. Mechanical recycling of wind turbine blade waste and application in cement-based materials B. Characterisation of wind turbine blade waste and application in polymer-based composites C. In-situ treatment of recycled concrete fines in the carbonation chamber D. Smart crushing of construction and demolition waste. XRD analysis results of crushed and sieved concrete waste |
BPS lab
CBM lab |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Group discussion | Group reflection – Interpreting lab results in the context of real applications | Vertigo, 7.08 |
| August 15 | |||
| Time | Activity | Content | Room |
| 9:00 – 12:00 | Workshops (in small groups of 5-6 persons) | A. Mechanical recycling of wind turbine blade waste and application in cement-based materials B. Characterisation of wind turbine blade waste and application in polymer-based composites C. In-situ treatment of recycled concrete fines in the carbonation chamber D. Smart crushing of construction and demolition waste. XRD analysis results of crushed and sieved concrete waste |
BPS lab
CBM lab |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch break | ||
| 13:00 – 16:00 | Workshop | Working in small groups on the presentation of the circular approach in research (Coffee break 14:20-14:40) | Vertigo, 7.08 |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Group discussion | Presenting approaches to applying circular thinking in participants’ research | Vertigo, 7.08 |
A big thank you to all the contributors and participants of the event!
Industry Innovation Days
Towards Tomorrow’s Industry: Sustainable Materials & Emerging Technologies
📍DTU – Technical University of Denmark – DTU Lyngby Campus, Building 112, Rooms 002 & 004.
📅 22 September 2025
BLADES2BUILD is proud to announce the next event organised by our coordinator DTU – Technical University of Denmark/ DTU Sustain, supported by Global Consulting Sustainability AS!
BLADES2BUILD is organising an Innovation Industry Day, on Monday, 22nd of September, on “Towards Tomorrow’s Industry: Sustainable Materials & Emerging Technologies” with in-person participation (limited positions) in Copenhagen, at the DTU – Technical University of Denmark.
This event will bring together industry leaders, researchers, and innovators to explore how sustainable materials and cutting-edge technologies are shaping the future of industry.
Join us for insightful discussions, knowledge exchange, and opportunities to connect with stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem.
The day will feature inspiring panel discussions and presentations on:
Sustainable Innovations in the Construction Industry
Advances in the Wind Industry
Recycling Industry & Circular Solutions
Digitalisation & AI in Industry
Agenda: (CET)
| 9:00 – 9:20 | Registration and coffee |
| 9:20 – 9:30 | Introduction and welcome |
| 9:30 – 10:30 | Circular Solutions from the Building Materials Industry
Duc Tung Dao – Holcim “Holcim Circular Economy Strategy: from Construction Demolition Waste to End of Life Wind Turbine Blades recycling” Jakob W Nielsen – Miljøskærm “Transforming EOL blades to circular insulation products” Alberto Oñoro & Anne-Sofie Gregersen – Rockwool “How ROCKWOOL works with circularity” |
| 10:30 – 10:40 | Coffee break |
| 10:40 – 11:20 | Round-table – From Research to Industry |
| 11:20 – 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 – 12:50 | Tools for Circular Value Chains and Upscaling
İlter Önder – Klarna “From Fintech to Green Tech: Lessons Learned on Digital Technologies” Rikke Ullersted – The Upcycl “Waste Dating: Overview and Access to Sustainable Material Choices” Foivos Psarommatis – Zerofect “Digital Product Passports for Sustainable Construction and Industrial Circularity” Christian Steen Wittrup – a:gain “Scaling circularity needs a more nuanced resource hierarchy“ |
| 12:50 – 13:50 | Lunch break |
| 13:50 – 14:30 | Emerging Practices for Low-Carbon Sectors: Wind Energy and Buildings
Paul Astle – Rambøll “Carbon Clarity: The importance of transparency and accuracy in BIM, carbon assessments and decision making.” Julia Smid – Ballast Nedam “Advancing circularity within the wind turbine industry.” Kristen Skelton – GE Vernova “Circular Innovations in Wind” |
| 14:30 – 15:20 | Round-table – AI and Digitalization in Industry |
| 15:20 – 15:30 | Wrap-up and closing |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Networking and Drinks |
A big thank you to all the contributors and participants of the event!
Check all the contributors here!
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
