Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions, announce another promising result of value chain cooperation involving the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, in this instance to improve the environmental footprint of automotive vehicles. Borealis Daplen polypropylene (PP) compound grades composed of PCR and virgin content were used in applications and parts for a specially-built hybrid SUV recently unveiled by leading premium car maker Volvo at the "Ocean Summit" event in Gothenburg, Sweden. The car highlights their ambition to ensure that at least 25% of the plastics in newly launched Volvo Cars will be made from sustainable material.In Europe, EU legislation in the form of the End of Life Vehicles Directive has helped bring about higher rates of reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials from passenger cars and light vehicles. Yet automakers are keen to find additional ways to lower the overall environmental footprint of their models. Polyolefin-based automotive applications have long been viable alternatives to materials like aluminium and conventional engineering plastics, because they facilitate lightweighting while maintaining high performance standards. However, some automotive applications can be made even more sustainable if PCR and virgin plastic material are combined to produce high-end grades with reliable and long-term consistency. Using PCR materials helps use natural resources more wisely, and produces less waste.
In 2014, Borealis was one of the first leading polyolefin suppliers to launch a portfolio of PP compound solutions including PCR content for use in automotive applications. Developed in Europe, the PCR Daplen grade portfolio was launched to fulfil industry demand for safe, readily available, and high-quality reclaimed materials with a lower environmental impact. Crucially, the performance and cost efficiency of PCR grades can be equal to that of virgin materials and PCR Daplen grades have the potential for use in a variety of interior, exterior, and under-the-bonnet (UTB) applications.
