Page 32 - Plastics News December 2022

HEXPOL TPE named as partner in Polestar LyondellBasell and Audi
O climate-neutral car project create first automotive

Swedish electric performance car company Polestar is accelerat- plastic parts from mixed
ing its work to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by welcoming automotive plastic waste
new partners to the Polestar 0 project, among them is polymer
compounder

yondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) and
LAudi today announce a first
time collaboration to help close
the loop for mixed automotive
plastic waste. Audi is installing plas-
tic seatbelt buckle covers in the Q8
e-tron made using LyondellBasell
plastic that supports the sourcing
of feedstocks from mixed automo-
tive plastic waste. Plastic compo-
nents from customer vehicles that
can no longer be repaired are dis-
he Polestar 0 project is Polestar’s ambition requires partners at the mantled, shredded, and processed
Tmoon-shot goal of creating the cutting-edge of their industries and by chemical recycling into pyrolysis
first truly climate-neutral car by 2030 which are fully engaged in our bold oil. The pyrolysis oil is then used as
without offsetting. The project will vision. That’s why I’m looking forward a raw material in LyondellBasell’s
work to identify and eliminate all to HEXPOL TPE becoming a crucial manufacturing process for the pro-
greenhouse gas emissions from the part of our team as we find solutions duction of new plastics, replacing
extraction of raw materials to when for developing an entirely climate- virgin fossil feedstocks. The recy-
the car is delivered to the customer, neutral supply chain. HEXPOL TPE’s cled content is attributed to the
as well as the end-of-life handling. expertise … will be invaluable in our Audi product via a mass balance
The partnership agreement is with mission and will play an integral role approach [1].
HEXPOL TPE’s site in Åmål, Sweden. in pioneering new and innovative As part of the PlasticLoop pro-
HEXPOL TPE will support the project technologies to achieve what has so “ject, we are working with Audi
with their knowledge and capabilities far been impossible.” to establish an innovative closed-
in thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and Thomas Nilsson, Managing Director, loop process, recycling plastic
soft polymer compounds. Including HEXPOL TPE, added: “This is a automotive parts for use in new
research into advancing possibilities very inspiring project to be part of. vehicles,” said Erik Licht, Lyondell-
with bio-based and recycled content. It aligns with our work to enable Basell Advanced Polymer Solutions
The project’s scope will also involve a systems transformation in the New Business Development Di-
supply chain mapping to identify polymer industry. To bring a true rector.“ For the first time, we are
all root sources of emissions and change, we need to collaborate on an using chemical recycling to recycle
investigate logistics systems with zero unprecedented scale. We’ve already mixed automotive plastic waste
CO2 emissions. started the work and are excited to into plastic granulate for automo-
Hans Pehrson, leader of the Polestar see where we go.” tive interior applications.
0 project, said: “A project of this

32 PLASTICS NEWS December 2022