Background Following the decision to ban the use of asbestos in construction, the question of what to do with increasing amounts of fibre-bearing waste has become an environmental priority. Several methods have been proposed for the disposal of materials containing asbestos (complete removal, insulation by resin coating or encapsulation). Techniques for making asbestos inert include fluorosulphonic acid attack, thermal treatments and mechano-chemical methods. However, encapsulation and coating are temporary solutions, as the material is still subject to weathering. Moreover, fibre treatments based on chemical attack are liable to release toxic vapours. In Europe active inerting plants are based on thermal treatments or on plasma technology. In Italy, most asbestos-containing waste is considered as hazardous, but waste dump capabilities are decreasing and new sites are difficult to identify. Thus, the alternative solution at the moment is incineration, mostly abroad, with very high costs. Objectives The LIFE FIBERS project aims to improve knowledge on the treatment of asbestos-bearing waste through the following actions: Manufacturing and implementing two prototype ovens (which will be up-scaled to medium and then to pre-industrial scale), dedicated to inerting asbestos-bearing waste by a technique known as 'self-propagating high temperature synthesis' (SHS); Verifying the extent of transformation of fibrous waste into newborn minerals, with changed chemistry and behaviour from asbestos; Optimising the quality (i.e. purity) and the amounts (i.e. the stoichiometry) of chemical reagents to be adopted for the industrial extension, as a part of a move towards green and sustainable industrial processes; Conducting further industrial applications of inerting by SHS for other harmful fibrous waste; and Assessing the re-use of the granular silicates (mostly olivine, Mg2SiO4), the end products of the SHS inerting, as secondary raw materials. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following results: Start up of a permanent prototype plant located at partner, Vico s.r.l.; Demonstration of the feasibility of a mobile plant for in-situ remediation of tiles, plaster or insulation material, thereby helping to reduce remediation costs and decrease landfill demands; Both prototypes will test the breakdown of i) pure asbestos, ii) asbestos bearing-waste and iii) other asbestos fibrous waste; Gaining of useful knowledge regarding the industrial quality of combustion products and potential areas of re-use; and Results from the tests are anticipated to offer improved cost effective treatment options in terms of time and energy. Overall findings will help to inform the updating of normative protocols for waste treatment at national and transnational levels.