From Blades to Benches: Canvus Transforms Wind Turbines into Functional Art

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Wind energy is a proven low-carbon solution with a high Energy Return on Investment. Despite its environmental benefits, the disposal of wind turbine blades, primarily made of non-recyclable fiberglass, poses a challenge as thousands retire each year.

Beyond Landfills: Breathing New Life into Turbine Blades

Canvus, a startup based in Avon, Ohio, is transforming decommissioned giant wind turbine blades into stylish and sustainable furniture. Wind turbines, with an approximate lifespan of 30 years, often require blade replacements before reaching that timeframe. What might otherwise contribute to landfill burdens finds new life under Canvus’s touch. Decommissioned turbine blades, once slicing through the air, are meticulously transformed into benches.

Their designs encompass various benches and picnic table sets. The company not only shapes blades for products but also incorporates upcycled and recycled materials. These include recycled plastics for composite “lumber,” recycled rubber for seating surfaces, and mixed plastics with up to 30% rice hulls or post-consumer carpet for high-density boards.

Canvus’s Vision for Tomorrow’s Treasures

Canvus provides on-site cutting for decommissioned blades, manages shipping logistics to its US facility, and repurposes non-conforming blades.

The impact of Canvus’s work extends beyond individual furniture pieces. They ignite conversations about environmental responsibility, sparking curiosity in onlookers and inspiring communities to reimagine the materials that surround them. Canvus’s creations become physical embodiments of a circular economy, where yesterday’s discards become tomorrow’s treasures.

Ashton Henning