Demonstrator for Climate Neutrality
July 2026
This demonstrator illustrates how alternative supply chain sourcing strategies can significantly reduce environmental footprint while building supply chain resilience. Specifically, it explores the production of carbon fiber composite bicycle frames through five distinct scenarios, each representing different material sourcing, manufacturing locations, and transportation approaches.
The demonstrator enables users to compare alternative supply chains against a reference scenario, understanding the trade-offs between virgin and recycled materials, local versus international sourcing, and various transportation modes. It demonstrates how circular economy principles and bio-based materials can substantially lower carbon emissions across production and logistics stages.
Supply Chain Resilience Through Diversification
Supply chain resilience refers to the ability of a supply chain to withstand disruptions and recover quickly while maintaining its core functions. By diversifying sourcing options and adopting alternative material strategies, companies can reduce dependency on single suppliers and geographic regions, thereby building more robust and adaptable supply chains.
Key Resilience Strategies
Several strategic approaches enhance supply chain resilience while reducing environmental impact:
- Material Diversification — Using recycled carbon fiber and bio-based epoxy resins reduces dependency on virgin petrochemical sources and enables circular economy integration. This approach improves supply security while lowering carbon footprint.
- Geographic Diversification — Sourcing from multiple regions (Chinese, European, and Polish suppliers) reduces geopolitical and logistical risks. Local sourcing options minimize transportation impacts while supporting regional economies.
- Manufacturing Process Alternatives — Adopting advanced manufacturing techniques, renewable energy sources, and efficient prepreg production methods can substantially reduce both environmental impact and production costs while improving quality consistency.
- Transportation Mode Optimization — Shifting from road to rail transport, where feasible, can reduce transport emissions by up to 70% while improving delivery predictability and cost efficiency on longer routes.
- Circular Economy Integration — Closed-loop supply chains incorporating recycled materials and designing for disassembly extend product life cycles and reduce end-of-life waste, while also creating secondary material markets that enhance supply chain flexibility.
The Five Supply Chain Scenarios
The demonstrator presents five realistic supply chain scenarios for manufacturing carbon fiber composite bicycle frames, each with distinct environmental and resilience characteristics:
Scenario 1: Carbon fiber and fabrics from China + Epoxy resin and prepregs fabrication in Poland + Element manufacturing in Poland (conventional autoclave) (Reference)
Baseline configuration using global sourcing
The reference scenario uses virgin carbon fiber from China combined with Polish epoxy and element manufacturing in Poland. This represents typical global supply chains optimized for cost. Total GWP: 2,185 kg CO₂-eq
Characteristics: Long-distance transport (China to Poland), virgin materials, established suppliers
Scenario 2: Carbon fiber from China + Epoxy, fabrics and prepregs fabrication in Poland + Element manufacturing in Poland (conventional autoclave)
Alternative Polish fabric supplier for improved local sourcing
Uses the same Chinese carbon fiber but substitutes with fabrics and prepregs produced in Poland. This increases local content and reduces intermediate transport. Total GWP: 1,980 kg CO₂-eq (9% reduction)
Characteristics: Partial local sourcing, integrated Polish processing, modest emissions savings
Scenario 3: Carbon fiber from Germany + Fabrics fabrication, Epoxy and prepregs fabrication in Italy + Element manufacturing in Poland (conventional autoclave)
European sourcing to minimize international transport
Carbon fiber sourced from Germany with Polish epoxy and fabrics. Significantly reduced transport emissions through European sourcing. Total GWP: 1,940 kg CO₂-eq (11% reduction)
Characteristics: Regional supply chain, road transport within Europe, lower supplier geopolitical risk
Scenario 4: Carbon fiber from Japan + Fabrics fabrication, Epoxy and prepregs fabrication in Italy + Element manufacturing in Poland (conventional autoclave)
Circular economy approach with secondary materials
Incorporates recycled carbon fiber (60% lower emissions than virgin), hybrid fabrics, and bio-based epoxy. Demonstrates circular economy principles. Total GWP: 1,135 kg CO₂-eq (48% reduction)
Characteristics: Secondary materials, circular sourcing, significant environmental benefit, emerging supply chains
Scenario 5: Recycled Carbon fiber from England + Fabrics fabrication, Epoxy and prepregs fabrication in Poland + Element manufacturing in Poland (conventional autoclave)
Maximum sustainability with all optimization strategies
Combines recycled carbon fiber, bio-based epoxy (50% lower emissions), hybrid flax-carbon fabrics, rail transport, and renewable energy manufacturing. Represents the most sustainable option. Total GWP: 1,065 kg CO₂-eq (51% reduction)
Characteristics: Fully circular design, renewable energy, rail logistics, maximal resilience through diversification
GWP Calculation Methodology
Global Warming Potential (GWP) is calculated in kg CO₂-equivalents across the full supply chain, including:
- Production Emissions — Direct manufacturing emissions from material production, processing, and fabrication stages
- Transport Emissions — Logistics emissions based on mode (road: 0.12 kg CO₂-eq/km; rail: 0.035 kg CO₂-eq/km), distance, and product mass
- Data Availability Classification — Indicators show data sources (integrated/calculated, partial, or not yet available), enabling transparent comparisons
The comparison feature shows users the GWP reduction percentage relative to the reference scenario, helping identify the most climate-friendly supply chain strategy aligned with their business constraints and resilience objectives.
Key Takeaways
- Material choices matter: Switching from virgin to recycled materials can reduce emissions by up to 60%.
- Transportation optimization is critical: Rail transport and closer sourcing can cut transport-related emissions dramatically - up to 70% reduction for long-distance routes.
- Geographic diversification builds resilience: Local European sourcing reduces geopolitical risks while lowering environmental impact through shorter supply chains.
- Circular economy enables sustainability: Recycled materials and bio-based inputs achieve 51% total GWP reduction while creating new market opportunities and supply sources.
- Data transparency drives decisions: Understanding which supply chain stages contribute most to environmental impact enables targeted optimization and informed strategic choices.
Data Sources
This demonstrator currently uses hypothetical data to represent key actors and processes across the advanced composites, carbon fiber production, and recycling value chain. The dataset will be further refined in September 2026.