First chrome is banned and now carbon fibre is under threat

Carbon fibre could be outlawed by the EU as it has classified the product as a hazardous substance. Evidently particulates emitted by the disposal of carbon fibre can be harmful to human health.

This is bad news for lovers of supercars and add-on bodykits.

The EU is currently redrafting its End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive. It aims to ensure the clean recycling of cars at the end of their lifespans. And it wants to avoid the usage of potentially harmful substances, such as lead and mercury in new models.

It looks as though carbon fibre will be added to the “hazardous” list, along with items like cadmium and hexavalent chromium. Cars in future will be duller and heavier then.

Some items that are hazardous are currently exempt but new legislation is likely to ban them entirely. Manufacturers are already beginning to reduce their reliance on items like hexavalent chromium. Carbon fibre will likely follow for EU car makers.

The use of carbon fibre, while both strong and lightweight, could be outlawed because of the particulates emitted when it’s disposed of. Evidently, shredding CF creates a shower of tiny conductive particles. These are irritable or painful to human skin but can also short-circuit machinery.

At present, the automotive sector accounts for roughly 10-20 per cent of carbon fibre usage, most of it made in Japan. Sports car makers will be adversely affected by this decision. And the industry is already under the pump, following the implementation of recent tariffs on imports to the US.

How this plays out is not yet clear, and it may well affect the UK differently, given it is no longer part of the EU.