Covestro collaborates with automotive partners on car-to-car plastic recycling

With increasing global environmental awareness and stricter regulatory requirements, the automotive industry is realizing the necessity of plastic recycling for sustainable development. To this end, materials manufacturer Covestro, together with partners across the automotive value chain, is pioneering the concept of car-to-car closed-loop plastic recycling, which is emerging as a promising solution to the industry's plastic waste management challenges.

Under a joint pilot program launched by the German federal enterprise GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), Covestro and its partners will collaborate to establish a closed-loop pathway for high-value plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELV). The goal is to create an efficient, sustainable automotive plastics recycling system and drive a more sustainable "industry transformation." The pilot program was announced at the Covestro booth during Shanghai Chinaplas 2024. Well-known partners include leading automotive brands such as China's NIO and Volkswagen, Chinese recycling company GEM, and third-party certification bodies such as Germany's TÜV Rheinland.

Lily Wang, global head of the Engineering Plastics business entity at Covestro said: "We are proud to work with like-minded value chain allies to pioneer closed-loop plastic recycling in the automotive industry. By leveraging our collective strengths and resources, we are confident in establishing a closed loop for automotive plastic recycling, thereby reducing waste and carbon emissions from the source while improving resource utilization efficiency. With this joint initiative, we aim to accelerate the automotive industry's transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable future."

Martin Hofmann, Cluster Leader for Climate, Energy, Environment and Biodiversity at GIZ, said: "The automotive industry is one of the most resource-intensive in the world, but the potential of high-value plastics from end-of-life cars remains largely untapped. “GIZ is leading an innovative effort to explore closed-loop pathways for high-value plastics from ELV. I firmly believe that GIZ and our partners can create a path towards a transition to a sustainable circular economy."