Circular use of plastics in the automotive industry
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 3 153 843 |
| Project duration | November 2023 - February 2026 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Circularity - FFI |
| Call | Circularity - FFI - Autumn 2023 |
Important results from the project
The project has largely met the objectives set at the start. CIRCUS mapped current handling of plastics in ELV and value vehicles, carried out dismantling tests, showed that several plastic types can be recycled to usable quality, developed redesign principles, and performed system and environmental analyses confirming climate benefits. The results provide a basis for meeting upcoming ELV requirements.
Expected long term effects
Continued development of dismantling routines and routines to sort the plastic from cars that enable circular recycling of the plastics. Guidelines for circular design, redesign proposals and material recommendations will most probably contribute to that designers in the automotive industry absorbs the knowledge and start to designing for dismantling and recycling. Recyclers and compounders see business opportunities to refine ELV plastics for circular use in vehicles.
Approach and implementation
The cooperation with the project partners worked very well. The dismantlers were very engaged and a large number of dismantling trials were carried out. Mocom and the component manufacturers did a solid job together to analyze the recyclability of components and develop guidelines for circularity and redesign proposals. Recycling attempts and the evaluation of the ELV plastic were successful and the cooperation with RondoPlast was very beneficial. The exchange of knowledge was rewarding.