AUTOMOTIVE | INNOVATION


Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at Covestro. “By offering high-quali- ty PCR materials derived from end-of-life head- lamps, we’re enabling our customers to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements while contributing to closed-loop recycling of automotive plastics.” Covestro has been collaborating with partners, including Chinese recycler Ausell and leading automakers, to establish closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from ELVs. The company said that, along with its value chain partners, it has developed practical solutions for collecting and mechanically processing end-of-life headlamps into high-quality PCR grades suitable for a range of automotive applications.


Packaging sources There are also developments in the open loop approach of using packaging waste plastics as a raw material for automotive parts. In May, German companies TechnoCompound and RE Plano (a subsidiary of Remondis Recycling) said they have agreed to intensify their cooperation in the use of PCR packaging for automotive applications. The use of recyclates from the lightweight packaging fraction of household waste sorting for use in technical products presents many challenges, they said, and both companies have made significant developments and investments in this area in recent years. Dirk Breitbach, Managing Director of Techno-


Compound, said: “Building on our 35 years of experience in the use of recyclates in plastic compounds, the cooperation with RE Plano is an important step in the up-cycling of PCR from the lightweight packaging fraction for technical applications, such as vehicle interiors. This applica- tion has very high requirements in terms of emissions and odours, as well as the mechanical properties of our products.” At its sorting plant in Bochum, Germany, RE Plano uses an AI-supported sorting system that recognises individual packaging and is pro- grammed for sorting criteria that enables the company to achieve the highest purity levels. TechnoCompound recompounds these materials to produce plastic grades that pass the emission chamber tests, including odour and emissions, specified by vehicle OEMs. Dr Gerald Aengenhey- ster, Head of Development & Application Technol- ogy at TechnoCompound, said: “We can offer material solutions where PCR and post-industrial recycled content (PIR) are balanced according to the application and specification.”


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com TechnoCompound said that “while the recovery


of PCR from end-of-life vehicle recycling is still in its infancy, developments for the use of the PCR light packaging fraction are now well advanced and available for series application”. An example is an instrument panel carrier made from TechnoGreen PP LGF long glass fibre reinforced PP grades, which is in production for two vehicles. Carton packaging group Tetra Pak has been finding applications for polyal, a material combin- ing polymers and aluminium components recov- ered during the recycling of beverage cartons. It said in June that the Fiat Grande Panda has compo- nents made using a polyal-based compound called Lapolen Ecotek, produced by Lapo Compound. Tetra Pak said: “The placement of the material in such visible parts of the interior, rather than in hidden areas, clearly demonstrates the material’s aesthetic potential. Fiat chose the material for its shimmering effect, created by the aluminium content of the recycled material, and because Lapo Compound was able to precisely match the specific shade of blue required.” Additional reporting by David Eldridge.


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � https://euric.org � www.plasticseurope.org � https://globalimpactcoalition.com � www.sumikaeurope.com � www.materiact.com � www.skchemicals.com � www.toyoda-gosei.com � www.covestro.com � www.technocompound.com � www.replano.com � www.tetrapak.com � https://recyclass.eu


July/August 2025 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 17


Left: Tetra Pak has collabo- rated with Fiat in the use of recycled polymer- aluminium material


IMAGE: FIAT


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