MATERIALS | RECYCLED MATERIALS
Covestro’s new line of recycled polycarbonates is made from old car headlamps
IMAGE: COVESTRO
in the production of cars to be recycled plastic. The consortium includes the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Japan ELV Recycler’s Association and the Japan Plastics Industry Federation.
Although the Japanese car industry uses around 1 million tonnes/year of plastics, very little of this is recyclate, according to the report.
Aesthetic appearance FKuR will present an expanded portfolio at K2025, including Paluren – an LDPE from Palurec made from recycled beverage cartons. The material, available in pellet form, contains
Below: Better rheological tests allow more precise amounts of stabiliser to be used in recyclates, says Fraunhofer LBF
around 4% aluminium flakes. This gives products made from it a unique appearance. Palurec uses a mechanical-physical process that uses no organic solvents, with water as the only separation medium. Paluren can be processed similarly to conven- tional PE and allows the use of hot runner injection moulding technology as well as common polyole- fin-based colour and additive masterbatches. It can also be welded and bonded. The aluminium flake content is used to create attractive aesthetic properties.
“At K2025, we will emphasise our ongoing commitment to circularity in the plastics industry,” said Patrick Zimmermann, managing director of FKuR.
Circular headlamps Covestro has introduced a new line of post-con- sumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonates made from end-of-life automotive headlamps. Developed in a joint programme initiated by the 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 head- lamps 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 discovered 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
24 INJECTION WORLD | September 2025
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: FRAUNHOFER LBF
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