Materials manufacturer Covestro and Ausell, a Chinese plastics recycling firm are taking their existing recycling collaboration a step further, the companies have announced.
Having worked together since 2020, and recycling one million 19-liter polycarbonate water barrels each year into high-performance post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonates used in various industrial sectors, the two companies have now agreed on a new partnership to enhance the circularity of the automotive industry by converting automotive plastic waste into materials for new vehicle components.
Ausell will supply recycled polycarbonates from discarded automotive headlamps to Covestro, which the polymer producer will then process into high-quality PCR materials suitable for automotive applications, and thus ‘accelerating the circular transformation of the automotive industry’, as Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at Covestro described it.
This initiative marks another toward closing the recycling loop in the automotive sector, reducing waste and carbon emissions while improving resource efficiency - all goals that the automotive industry, faced with consumer and increasing regulatory pressure, is pursuing.
“By turning end-of-life automotive components into valuable resources, we are not only reducing waste but also contributing to the development of sustainable materials for future vehicle production,” said Xia Wenjun, CEO of Ausell.
The successful development of compliant, high-performance recycled polycarbonates will not only boost the sustainability of automotive components but also highlight the potential of high-value recycling solutions.