VFSE has announced the successful finalisation of its EATS recycling project together with the project partner CIFRA and additional stakeholders from the automotive industry.
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VFSE project develops circular application for automotive rPVC
VFSE project develops circular application for automotive rPVC
The project was co-funded by VinylPlus and successfully developed a product for the automotive industry, made of recycled PVC from the automotive industry.
The EATS recycling project was set up in 2019 by the EATS subgroup of Vinyl Films and Sheets Europe that comprises three companies active in the automotive trim market: the Cotting Group, TMG Automotive, and Vulcaflex.
Roberto Bozzi, President of VFSE and CEO of Vulcaflex, said: “The entire plastics industry is fully committed to the transition towards a more circular and sustainable economy. We as an association wanted to contribute to this transition by demonstrating the potential for the use of recycled PVC as a raw material for the creation of new products for the automotive industry.”
The project was set up corresponding to a strong demand from consumers and legislators for more sustainable solutions, especially in the automotive and plastic industries. Numerous car manufacturers have publicly pledged to increase their use of recycled polymers which can only be successful if new applications for recycled polymers are developed. Following a market study investigating possible applications, heel mats were chosen as the most promising product, and the technical development through the project partner CIFRA was started.
Michel Py, Vice-President of VFSE and CEO of CIFRA, added: “We are proud to have participated in this project and to have been able to create a heel mat made from recycled PVC from the automotive industry. The technical development was challenging but together with our value chain partners we created a product that meets the highest technical and esthetical expectations while increasing its sustainability and circularity.”
The successful development of a new application using recycled PVC from the automotive industry in a closed loop is an important step to showcase the potential for sustainable circular solutions with PVC in the automotive sector.