Towards Sustainable Manufacturing: a Review and Future Directions in Additive Manufacturing of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a global framework for addressing critical challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity and sustainable industrialization. With increasing demand for products and improving quality of life, linear consumption of materials and resources following the “take-make-waste” is no longer possible. As such, innovative solutions are increasingly necessary to enable circular economy in manufacturing. Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a transformative technology in achieving SDGs by enhancing resource efficiency and minimizing waste. Fiber reinforced composites are a promising application of AM, as they offer the potential to optimize material use, reduce labor and support sustainable production practices. However, there is an urgent need for considering circular economy strategies, life cycle assessment (LCA) frameworks and effective recycling at the end of their lifetime. This study examines additive manufacturing systems for fiber-reinforced composites, their environmental impact and exploring the potential contributions of robotic integration in composite manufacturing to enhanced sustainability. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.