The European defence technology landscape is expanding its commitment to resource resilience with the launch of two new Circular Economy projects under the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED).
These initiatives, designated CHIPART and LabCEED, commenced operations on 1 October with a collective funding allocation of approximately €310,000. The programme’s objective is to integrate circular economy principles—critical to long-term supply chain security—into defence operations, enhancing efficiency and reducing the sector’s environmental and logistical footprint.
The first project, Chips to Parts (CHIPART), directly addresses material scarcity by focusing on the circularity of high-value titanium scrap, specifically Ti-6Al-4V, generated from conventional machining processes. The project aims to demonstrate a safe, energy-efficient methodology for converting this scrap material into feedstock suitable for Additive Manufacturing (3D printing). For companies engaged in materials processing and secondary raw material supply within the defence sector, this development signifies a strategic shift towards reducing reliance on primary raw materials from external sources, a key strategic goal for European defence self-sufficiency. This demonstrator is being executed by a consortium including Spain’s Idonial, the Danish Technological Institute, and the Centre for Research in Metallurgy in Belgium.
Simultaneously, the Laboratory for Circular Economy in European Defence Industry (LabCEED) introduces a critical logistical innovation. LabCEED involves designing and deploying a mobile laboratory unit equipped with analytical instruments and qualification procedures. The objective is to enable the on-site qualification of 3D-printed spare parts during active missions or deployments. This capability bypasses traditional, centralised supply chain vulnerabilities, offering rapid repair and maintenance capacity directly at the point of need. The consortium partners for this development include Poland’s Łukasiewicz – Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Spain’s Idonial.
Managed by the European Defence Agency, IF CEED is the central mechanism for integrating EU Green Deal principles into defence capabilities, establishing a collaborative network spanning Ministries of Defence, research and technology organisations, industry partners, and financial institutions. These two new initiatives follow three preceding Starter Projects launched on 1 April, collectively covering critical raw materials, specialised textiles, and eco-friendly management. The current projects were initiated following a call for proposals in October 2024, designed to deliver practical results within a rapid 15-month timeframe. For UK-based sub-contractors and prime bidders assessing future European defence requirements or seeking cross-border technological partnership opportunities, these rapid-deployment, material-centric projects highlight areas of accelerating investment and future procurement priority within the allied defence industrial base. The forum itself is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE programme, alongside contributions from the Italian and Luxembourg Ministries of Defence.
