Avient Corporation has announced it is now also introducing its reSound REC recycled-content TPEs to the Asian market. The company launched its AF 7210 TPE series for injection moulding, with 25%- 55% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, earlier this year in Europe.
The products, developed for use in automotive interior applications such as cup holder mats, phone charging mats, peddle covers, boot/trunk lining, HVAC flaps and other centre console parts, complement the existing offering of PCR-based products for polypropylene overmoulding and are in line with requirements for automotive interiors. In particular, they can achieve low malodor and fogging values while meeting strict VOC limiting specifications. They also can pass comprehensive xenon and environmental ageing tests and show no visual defects, deformation, or stickiness after short-term (6 hours at 100°C) and long-term (500 hours at 90°C) thermal aging.
The new TPEs have been developed in direct response to the growing number of end-of-life vehicle recycling and regulatory requirements around the world. In Europe, for example, the European Parliament has proposed targets for the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive that outline a minimum of 25% of the plastic used to build new vehicles sold from 2030 must come from recycled sources, with a minimum of 25% (6.25% overall) coming from circular or closed-loop feedstock. In Asia, ELV management differs from country to country, with a high level of awareness and legislative frameworks in place in countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, while, for example, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are less far along with the environmental regulations and programs needed for a better management of ELV recycling.
Nonetheless: “The growing adoption of plastics with PCR content by Asian automakers in the past decade, especially for interiors, has also created a significant rise in demand for PCR-based TPE solutions capable of delivering excellent overmoulding results on higher-performing polymers, such as PP,” said Matt Mitchell, Director, Global Marketing of Specialty Engineered Materials at Avient. “Our new reSound REC AF 7210 TPE series responds to this trend.”
In addition, Avient can provide product carbon footprint (PCF) values for these and other products using the PCF calculator, which was developed in accordance with ISO 14067:2018 Standard and third-party certified by TÜV Rhineland.