AUTOMOTIVE | MATERIALS
Covestro’s new line of recycled polycarbonates is made from old car headlamps
German federal enterprise GIZ, with Volkswagen and NIO as key partners, the grades contain 50% recycled content and are commercially available for new automotive applications. Volkswagen and NIO are already validating the material for potential use in future vehicle designs. “This new line of polycarbonate represents a significant step in supporting the automotive indus- try’s transformation towards a circular future,” said Lily Wang, global head of engineering plastics at Covestro. “PCR materials derived from end-of-life headlamps enable customers to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.” Covestro has also been collaborating with
partners such as Chinese recycler Ausell to estab- lish closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The new PCR grades will help automotive companies comply with new rules including the EU’s End-of-Life Vehicle Directive – which sets recycling targets – and China’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme, says Covestro.
Recycled quality Mouldmaker Simoldes Plastics and materials supplier Polykemi have found that recyclate-based resins can perform as well as virgin materials in moulding tests. The joint project began as a request from Simoldes’ automotive industry customers, who wanted to raise the proportion of recycled plastic in their products. This led to closer collaboration between the two companies, who tested and evalu- ated how recyclate-based plastics behave in tools previously only used for virgin materials. The parts in this project were interior door
frames and panels. All tests showed that recycled plastics performed well in the moulds, without the need for any changes. “Evaluations have shown that our processes work well with engineering thermoplastics based on mechanical recycled content – in the way we would expect with virgin materials,” said Mariusz Nowak,
www.injectionworld.com
project manager research and innovation at Si- moldes Plastics. “With the reliable partners at supply chain, we’re ready to begin serial production.” When virgin materials are replaced with recycled
materials, Simoldes can show precise emission savings using Polykemi’s analysis. The key to the reduction lies in making conscious material choices. Jörgen Olsson, technical manager at Polykemi, added: “Our initial calculations show that Simoldes will lower its CO2 emissions by 54-68% per manufactured part.” The tests also evaluated how recycled materials cope with processes such as insert moulding. Results from tests involving ABS injection moulding using recycled materials and either textile or foil in the moulds were equivalent to those from injection moulding using new materials. “The ability of recycled materials to cope with
such a process is a testament to its high quality,” said Olsson. “Old perceptions that recycled raw materials provide poor results and are more difficult to process can now be discarded.”
Interior benefit
Simoldes is also working with Elix Polymers to incorporate more recycled materials into premium vehicle interiors.
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Simoldes insert-moulded this interior door panel using recycled material from Polykemi
May/June 2025 | INJECTION WORLD 23
IMAGE: COVESTRO
IMAGE: POLYKEMI
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