MT Magazine July/August 2025

JULY/AUGUST 2025

33

LAMARKABLES

I’m With the Banned BY STEPHEN LAMARCA SENIOR TECHNOLOGY ANALYST

but because it might be too good to throw away yet too hard to reuse.

Let’s talk about something incredibly metal that’s neither new nor a precious metal – but still exclusive and premium: carbon fiber. In the last half century, it’s built a reputation for being

No Plan To Ban But as of now, the EU is not banning carbon fiber in new cars. Initial reports misread a proposal

lightweight, strong, exotic, space-age, and downright sexy. No material since gold has captured the human imagination quite like it. Whether it’s polished and glossy, dry matte, tightly woven, chopped, or used to make parts for track-inspired enthusiast cars or cases for Swiss watches that cost as much as a single-family home just outside a major American city, carbon fiber is cool.

to improve recycling and disposal – not prohibit use. Concerns, especially from Japan, eased after clarification. While sustainability remains a focus, carbon fiber stays in the game. Alongside alternatives like hemp composites and Tegris, automakers have a wider materials playbook. The potential (non)ban in Europe raised a crucial point: As sustainability gains momentum, even materials once seen as miracle solutions like carbon fiber aren’t exempt from scrutiny. The new era of manufacturing will balance performance with responsibility. That means better recycling techniques, more hybrid materials, and being honest about trade-offs. Carbon fiber isn’t just an engineering material; it’s cultural currency. But that doesn’t mean it’s above critique. Its mystique was built in Formula 1 paddocks and aerospace labs but maintained through smart marketing and consumer fetishism. As the industry matures, we’re going to have to look past the shimmer and ask: Is it the right material for the job – or just the coolest one?

Europe Wants To Ban Carbon Fiber From New Cars

Earlier this year, there was some medium spicy commotion that the EU was on the warpath to ban the use of carbon fiber in new automobiles. This raised a lot of eyebrows and sparked a lot of questions. Thankfully, though, the kibosh was put on this proposal. Let’s take a deeper look at why a regulatory body would want to ban carbon fiber and some potential alternatives.

The Dirty Secret Behind the Gloss So why would anyone want to ban carbon fiber in the first place? In a word: sustainability. While carbon fiber dazzles with strength and lightness, its environmental track record is not exactly “clean.” First, manufacturing it is energy-intensive. Producing the precursor – usually polyacrylonitrile – requires high heat in oxygen-free environments. The carbonization process alone can reach 1,000-3,000 degrees celsius, gobbling up megawatts and belching exorbitant amounts of carbon dioxide. Some studies estimate that producing 1 kilogram of carbon fiber emits over 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is significantly higher than aluminum or steel. But the bigger issue is what happens after the product dies. Traditional carbon fiber is a thermoset composite, meaning the resin that binds the fibers doesn’t melt down for reuse. It’s locked in. That makes recycling extremely difficult and inefficient. Mechanical recycling grinds it into filler material – lower grade, less useful. Thermal or chemical recycling can recover some fibers, but not the original strength or length. Plus, those methods tend to be costly, energy-hungry, or chemically nasty. It’s hard to recycle, expensive to reclaim, and dirty to make. Not exactly the trifecta you want for a green future. That’s why the EU and other governing bodies are scrutinizing its long-term role. Not because carbon fiber is bad at its job –

Fact Check: The ‘Forged’ Carbon Fiber Forgery Also, there’s something I need to get off my chest. Let’s address “forged carbon fiber.” This term grinds my gears. Forging is a metalworking process, not a composite one. You don’t “forge” carbon fiber any more than you saute a gearbox. What’s actually going on here is compression molding chopped carbon fibers in a resin matrix, like a carbon pulp, not a carbon sheet. This chopped-fiber slurry is smashed into molds under heat and pressure to form complex shapes quickly. The result is structurally sound, relatively efficient,