Plastics News Europe - June 2019 - 11

automotive plastics

"The base carpets are made from recycled nylon fishing nets, the seats are
recycled PET bottles," she said. "Exterior components replaced were, for
example, wheel-house liners, tires -
they contain recycled PP as well as biobased husk shells - and even the
grille, which is ABS. However, we excluded all safety-related parts, as the
time we had given ourselves to complete the project was too short to
meet all the testing requirements."
Having demonstrated that it is
possible, Volvo now aims to incorporate 25% recycled plastics in all newly
launched vehicles by 2025. "Currently, 350 kg of plastics are used in the
Volvo XC60 and 308 in the XC90
models. Replacing 25% of this by recycled plastic mean that we are going
to need a huge amount of recycled
materials."
The company uses both post-consumer and post-industrial plastic
waste. "Home scrap doesn't count,"
said Sandra.
To reach its 2025 goal, there are a
number of challenges to be met, she
added. Quantity, quality and price are
issues that will pose a problem.
"While prices for recycled PP will
probably be on par, biobased and engineering plastics will probably cost
more," she predicted. "Availability is

Axel Tuchlenski, head of Global
Product & Application Development at Lanxess during the
panel discussion: "The circular
economy is another big challenge ahead....it's a change that
is coming sooner than later"

another concern. We want to source
our material locally, and with facilities
on different continents, this is something we have to look at closely." And
lastly, chemical substance regulations
also have to be met.

Renewably sourced
materials as an alternative
According to Volkswagen's Christine
Schütz, the problem of waste plastics
and the increasing concentration of

greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
have led the corporation to examine
alternatives to virgin, oil-based plastic
materials. "Although, looking at CO2
emissions by sector, we see that transport accounts for 14%; industry is
responsible for 21% and agriculture
for 24%."
Volkswagen, she explained has
set itself the goal of developing sustainable vehicles. "Sustainability is
the driver for mobility development,"
she said. However, when opting for
biobased materials, there are a number of aspects that must be taken
into account: the materials must not
be in competition with food crops;
they should be low carbon - zero
emission - materials; protect biodiversity in nature, save resources and
involve eco-friendly processes and
products. "Biobased plastics have
the potential to be CO2 neutral,"
said Schütz. "But more research is
needed. We are looking for the
sweet spot that optimally integrates
ecological, economic and technological aspects."
Challenges, she noted, include the
balance between long-term stability
and compostability and the limited
availability of these biobased options.
Above all, she concluded: "Sustainability demands a holistic approach.

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Plastics News Europe - June 2019

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