French car-industry supplier Faurecia (Nanterre; www.faurecia.com) and compatriot waste management group Veolia (Paris; www.veolia.com) have agreed to jointly develop compounds for car interiors that will contain an average of 30% recycled content by 2025. Automotive interiors are mostly made from virgin plastics currently.

The compounds will be used in instrument panels, door panels, and centre consoles in Europe. Veolia will start producing the secondary raw materials at its French sites, starting from 2023. The waste services company has been providing polypropylene compounds to the French car industry for more than five years and said the collaboration with Faurecia will allow it to expand its product range to automotive interiors.

Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia, commented, “By combining our innovation and industrial forces with Veolia, we will accelerate the introduction of breakthrough sustainable materials and their time-to-market, as well as contributing to reducing plastic waste and strengthening the circular economy. This agreement will also strongly contribute to Faurecia’s roadmap towards CO₂ neutrality for scope 3, based on the principles of using less, using better, and using longer.”

Related: Faurecia increases use of natural fibres and biopolymers in vehicles

Faurecia introduced in 2011 its NAFILean range of bio-composites for automotive cockpits, which it said has a carbon footprint that is 28% lower than that of conventional all-plastic products and has been used in about 13 mn cars. NAFILean is a reinforced PP compound that contains 20% hemp fibres.

Earlier this year, Faurecia took over German lighting specialist Hella and combined the two firms into holding company Forvia (www.forvia.com – see Plasteurope.com of 10.02.2022).