Volkswagen : For Volkswagen, a circular economy is gaining in importance on the road to becoming a climate-neutral company. Together with partners from the worlds of business and science, the Group is accelerating the recycling of plastics used in cars. ...

When you think about car construction, you usually think of metal. Materials like steel, copper and aluminium give vehicles their shape. However, there is more to it than that: in one ton of car, more than 150 kilograms will be plastics. In the "SyKuRA" project (systematic recycling of plastics from end-of-life vehicles), the Volkswagen Group is working to make better use of plastic components from worn-out bumpers, seat cushions and seals, and to help protect the environment in the process.

Dr. Anja Pieper works in the Technical Development department as an expert in reutilisation technology and recycling. She is well aware of the challenges. Pieper: "When recycling end-of-life vehicles, the current focus is on separating the different metals. In contrast, you are left with a mixture of plastics, which is primarily recycled thermally at present. This is precisely what is being addressed by a new project, in which Volkswagen are joined by the Öko-Institut, the chemical company BASF, processing specialist SICON, and the Clausthal University of Technology. "We are developing technology in order to better exploit the opportunities available to improve the way we separate and recycle reusable materials from shredder residues," says Pieper. There is a special focus on plastics.