RecyClass Releases Recycling Design Guide for Automotive and Electrical and Electronic Industries

RecyClass launches a new protocol and its first dedicated recycling design guideline for the automotive, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sectors, marking a significant step in strengthening circularity in these two industries. The guideline covers automotive, refrigeration and temperature control equipment, small appliances, and information and communication technology (ICT) products.

These achievements provide manufacturers with practical, science-based guidance to enhance the recyclability of critical plastic components, helping them meet upcoming European regulatory requirements.

Evaluate the impact of different polymers and assembly strategies on recyclability

The release of this guide is built upon significant progress made in 2025. In that year, RecyClass launched its first recyclability assessment protocol for automotive and electrical and electronic equipment, providing a crucial basis for understanding the performance of commonly used plastics in existing recycling processes. Six testing activities conducted in the same year validated the reliability of the protocol and provided important support for subsequent product design optimization.

RecyClass has further launched a new Multi-Plastic Components Protocol to expand its related work. This protocol analyzes how different polymers and assembly methods affect sorting efficiency, material purity, cross-contamination risk, and the final quality of recycled material. By assessing whether polymers can be recovered to meet quality requirements for reuse in automotive and electrical and electronic equipment markets, it provides clear guidance to manufacturers for designing more circular products.

These achievements collectively establish a solid and unified scientific foundation and evaluation framework for the highly complex multi-material industry, and their timing is critical. Currently, companies across the entire automotive and electrical/electronic equipment supply chain are striving to comply with upcoming European regulations and are increasingly incorporating recycled plastics into their products.

At the same time, these advancements reflect the continuous improvement in the participation and cooperation levels among industry players. RecyClass continues to expand its collaborative ecosystem and invites more stakeholders to join, working together to implement science-based, viable plastic recycling solutions.