Dow announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Italy-based Fiori Group, a company that collects and recycles automotive scrap.
Under the new partnership, the companies plan to roll out a recycling programme for end-of-life vehicle parts and materials. The collaboration will involve analysing the vehicle dismantling process and its impact on waste quality and suitability for recycling.
Dow expects to recycle the automotive plastics and polyurethane into its Renuva portfolio of recycled materials, which also includes polymers.
“As two leaders committed to fostering a circular economy for polymers, plastics and polyurethanes, collaborative innovation is key to accelerating sustainable mobility,” said Dr. Esther Quintanilla, Dow’s global MobilityScience marketing director. “By joining forces with Fiori Group, we are strengthening our commitment to a sustainable future for the automotive industry through our leading materials in this key growth segment and their expertise in expanding the recycled fraction from end-of-life vehicles.”
Through its MobilityScience programme, Dow establishes partnerships globally to incorporate more circular models and innovative processes into the mobility supply chain.
Since the European Commission updated its Directive on end-of-life vehicles, setting a 25% recycled plastic mandate for vehicles placed on the market from July 2023, companies in the plastics industry have ramped off their efforts to meet increasing demand for recycled materials. Borealis, Covestro, or Mocom, for example, have all increased their offering of recycled materials for the automotive industry.
Dow continues to invest in both mechanical and chemical recycling to advance its circularity goals, which include commercialising 3 million tonnes of circular and renewable materials annually by 2030.