AUTOMOTIVE | INNOVATION
Car companies follow routes to recycled plastics
There has been a surge in interest from carmakers in recycled plastics as the prospect of EU recycled material targets in new cars draws nearer. David Eldridge reports on new projects
Major car companies and Tier 1 suppliers have been working with partners in the plastics recycling sector in their sustainability programmes. Audi, BMW and other European groups are pursuing projects to widen the use of recycled plastics, spurred by the European Commission’s plans for a 25% recycled plastics content target in the revision of the EU’s End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (see box). These multipartner projects have followed both mechanical and chemical recycling routes to adopt different polymer types in specific applications. Audi has revealed that the casings for seatbelt buckles in its Q8 E-tron EV launched this year are partially made from mixed automobile plastic waste recycled in a pyrolysis process. This is the first time the company has installed safety-critical components made from chemically recycled plastics. The Q8 E-tron is the top-of-the-range E-tron model and as such its interior reflects luxury through premium materials, but Audi has also
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
made the interior a showcase for recycled content, such as a decorative inlay that is partially made of recycled PET bottles. At the Better Future Conference in Germany in
April, Markus Duesmann, CEO of Audi Group, spoke of Audi’s sustainability initiatives in the circular economy as well as its strategic direction in e-mobili- ty. “The circular economy is a major lever because any material we recycle, we don’t have to regener- ate,” he said. “We have multiple projects underway to achieve this. With our MaterialLoop project, Audi is taking the next steps in being able to recycle more and more materials from end-of-life vehicles in automobile production over the next few years.” The MaterialLoop project focuses on increasing
recycled content from all material, including metal and glass as well as plastics. In this, Audi is working with 15 research and industry partners; those connected with plastics recycling include Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), LyondellBasell,
July/August 2023 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 23
Main image: Recovering more plastics and reusing materials in new applications are key targets for carmakers
IMAGE: AUDI
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