INNOVATION | AUTOMOTIVE
To increase content of recycled plastics in automotive applications, the value chain is working with car groups to develop new technologies and applications. By Laura Florez
Round and round: making automotive plastics circular
The automotive sector is facing a new era, where circularity is gaining the same relevance as electrifi- cation. Driven both by legislation and environmen- tal concerns, the industry is focused on finding new ways to incorporate recycled content in plastic applications.
During the conference at the IKV Colloquium in
Aachen, Werner Tietz, Head of Group Research and Development at Volkswagen, emphasized that upcoming regulations will reshape material strategies across the automotive value chain. These regulations imply 15% of recycled plastics content from post-consumer sources in automotive applications by 2032, and 25% by 2036. Amongst this share, about 20% should come from end-of-life vehicles (see box on final page of article). The barriers to increasing the uptake of recycled
materials in vehicle manufacturing arise from several factors: contamination due to a combina- tion of materials such as fibres, paint, or textiles;
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
difficulties in sorting different plastic types, particu- larly black components. And the economic viability of different recycling methods. OEMs and technology suppliers are working on
several solutions to overcome these challenges. The latest technological developments demonstrate the protagonism of chemical and solvent-based recycling as solutions to achieve the required recycled content targets, without sacrificing material performance. In addition, sorting technologies hold the promise of improving the purity of the end-of- life (ELV) vehicles waste streams. Chemical recycling is proving to be a valuable
alternative for contaminated plastic waste streams. BASF announced a research project together with ETH Zurich, where alternatives are being investi- gated to recycle mixed plastic ELV waste. In this case, the shredded residue is mixed with biomass (in a proportion of 1:3 in weight) and chemically recycled via gasification.
Main image: Will automotive plastics recycling gain traction from EU-mandated targets?
� May/June 2026 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 11
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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