Figure The project aims to demonstrate the economic feasibility and scalability of a car plastics circular recycling system.

A Global Impact Coalition (GIC) comprising over 100 executives from the chemical industry and related fields, in collaboration with multiple chemical and recycling companies, launched a pilot project in mid-February aimed at creating a closed-loop recycling system for end-of-life vehicle (ELV) plastics. Participating companies include BASF, Covestro, Lyondell-Basell, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, Sabic, Suez, and Syensqo. The pilot project will be carried out in Germany and the Netherlands, with plans to dismantle, crush, sort, and recycle plastic components from 100 ELVs.

The GIC's communications lead, Amanda Martin, told EUWID that the collection of ELVs is expected to start soon, likely in March. The subsequent phases of the project are expected to last about 4 to 6 months, after which the coalition will spend several months evaluating the results. Ms. Martin also added that all participants in the project will jointly be responsible for the collection, dismantling, crushing, and sorting of the plastics, while the recycling process will be conducted by each company using their own technologies. However, the final research findings will be shared among the project team. The project will employ a variety of chemical and mechanical recycling processes.

In a press release, the Global Impact Coalition stated that this project aims to verify the economic viability of large-scale closed-loop recycling systems for ELV plastics. The organization noted that approximately one million tons of plastic are generated annually from ELVs in Europe, with over 80% being incinerated or landfilled. According to data from the GIC, only about 191,000 tons (about 19%) are recycled.

This pilot project aims to convert these underutilized waste materials into valuable resources, significantly increasing the rate of closed-loop recycling of plastics in the automotive industry. The CEO of the Global Impact Coalition