At JEC World 2026, Arkema and Zephir Project introduced a prototype of an eco-designed speed board made with Elium® resin, the first recyclable liquid thermoplastic resin. This board incorporates materials that promote circularity right from the design stage, paving the way for a new generation of composite parts that combine performance, precision, and recyclability.
The board will be used by Antoine Albeau and the Zephir Project for their upcoming competitions, marking a new milestone in this collaboration:
- Windsurfing Speed World Championships from April 27 to May 6, 2026, in La Palme (Aude)
- World record attempts from June 1 to 30, 2026 (Aude)
Elite sports supporting the recycling of composite materials
By joining the Zephir Project, Arkema is once again using extreme sports environments as testing grounds to unlock the potential of its materials. Exposed to particularly high stress levels in terms of acceleration, stability, and rigidity during the pursuit of sailing speed records, Elium® resin enables the design of high-performance structural components while remaining fully chemically recyclable: through a depolymerization process, the fibers and resin can be separated and then recycled, with the resin subsequently reused to produce recycled resin, thereby reinforcing the complete circularity of the composites industry.
As used in the speed board prototype presented at JEC World 2026, Elium® resin plays a pivotal role in a circularity demonstrator that is unique within the composites industry. Eco-designed using recycled carbon fibers and a core foam with the same chemical composition as Elium® resin—thus eliminating any separation step during recycling—the board combines high mechanical performance, manufacturing precision, and complete recyclability.
Its liquid form allows Elium® resin to produce high-precision parts suited to the complex geometries of speed boards, while delivering performance comparable to that of thermosetting materials used in the most demanding sports environments.
By incorporating Elium® resin into a project as ambitious as the Zephir Project, Arkema demonstrates its ability to accelerate the development of fully circular composites while supporting manufacturers in their transition to low-carbon solutions. This demonstrator thus illustrates the potential of Arkema’s specialty materials in delivering extreme performance, innovation, and sustainability.
This project brings together leading players in their respective fields:
- Zephir Project: Co-founded by Marc Amerigo and world champion sailor Antoine Albeau, the project aims to push the boundaries of sailing speed records through a cutting-edge scientific approach that combines advanced simulations, material innovations, and testing under extreme conditions.
- ALTEN: A global leader in engineering and IT services, contributing its expertise in modeling, simulation, and optimization of ultra-high-performance composite structures to the Zephir project.
- Arkema: A global leader in Specialty Materials that develops Elium® resin, the first recyclable liquid thermoplastic acrylic resin, enabling the manufacture of high-performance structural parts while enhancing the circularity of composites.
- Alpha Recyclage Composite: A major player in the emergence of a sector dedicated to the recycling of composite materials, particularly through the recovery and upcycling of recycled carbon fibers.
- Evonik: An international chemical company specializing in high-performance materials, notably a supplier of Rohacryl® foam, a technical acrylic foam used for lightweight and rigid composite structures.
- Neo Sailing Technologies: A pioneer in shipbuilding using advanced materials and the first company to build racing boats entirely from Elium® resin, demonstrating the potential of this recyclable technology at a very early stage.
About the Zephir project
The Zephir Project, co-founded by Marc Amerigo, a renowned engineer in the world of record-breaking, and Antoine Albeau, France’s most decorated athlete with 27 world titles in windsurfing, centers on a program of technological and athletic exploration aimed at combining high performance with environmental responsibility. Driven by a methodical approach, it moves forward through successive stages to unlock the secrets of absolute gliding and set new sailing speed records: research, testing, and concept validation.
The project begins with a phase of advanced analysis and simulation, utilizing 3D modeling, big data, and artificial intelligence to understand the parameters that influence the stability, energy, lift, and safety of very high-speed craft.
This digital work is followed by a second phase of experiments under controlled conditions, including wind tunnel tests and onboard measurements to validate the dynamic behavior of the prototypes. By leveraging data analysis and AI algorithms, these tests are a crucial step in refining geometries, optimizing structures, and preparing configurations for record-breaking attempts.
The third phase, conducted on the water with Antoine Albeau, transforms these technical advances into athletic performance. The champion’s board then becomes a veritable laboratory for exploration, allowing for real-world testing of material choices, structural designs, and all aerodynamic and hydrodynamic parameters. This approach led, in particular, to the setting of a new world record of 53.49 knots over 500 meters in late 2024, confirming the validity of the step-by-step approach adopted by the Zephir Project.