Carbon Fiber Recycling and James Cropper Advanced Materials won the CAMX 2026 Unsurpassed Innovation Award for UNIMAT, a recycled carbon fiber material produced with VECTIS alignment technology. The award recognizes the circular supply chain that turns dry fiber, prepreg, and cured composite waste into spec-grade material for aerospace, automotive, and other structural applications. CFR's Tazewell, Tennessee facility recovers the fiber, and James Cropper aligns it into UNIMAT, which works with RTM, stamping, and prepreg processes. The companies claim a 99% CO2 reduction versus virgin PAN fiber, at lower cost. UNIMAT also finds uses in concrete crack control, nonwovens, and CFRP compounding, showing the material can serve multiple markets from one recovery stream.
