PureCycle and Motherson have produced a Class-A automotive bumper prototype with 30 per cent PureFive recycled polypropylene.
Testing led from Germany covered climate and mechanical properties, with results due at Startup Autobahn Expo in Stuttgart.
The work points Tier 1 suppliers and OEM sourcing teams towards traceable recycled polypropylene for incoming EU vehicle rules.
Fabian Wehrle, Global Innovation Exterior Engineer at Motherson, says: “This collaboration with PureCycle is an important step toward integrating recycled materials into applications that meet the high requirements of premium OEMs for Class-A surfaces. We want to evaluate this through extensive testing to meet the expectations of our customers in the automotive industry and to comply with the requirements of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive.”
The timing of this achievement is critical. The European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulation is creating binding requirements for automakers and their supply chains. By 2032, pending final adoption, new vehicles must contain at least 15% recycled plastic content, with a minimum of 3% sourced from end-of-life vehicles. By 2036, those thresholds increase to 25% and 5%, respectively. Exterior components such as bumpers are directly within scope.
PureCycle’s patented dissolution recycling process removes color, odor, and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene, producing PureFive® resin with properties similar to virgin material. PureFive is third-party certified for recycled content, providing the traceability and documentation that OEMs and regulators will require for mandate compliance.
For automakers and Tier 1 suppliers targeting the European market, the Motherson–PureCycle bumper prototype provides a scalable blueprint for 2032 compliance. PureCycle is further expanding its production footprint to serve European customers directly, with a new dissolution recycling facility under development at the port of Antwerp in Belgium, expected to be operational in 2029.
“This bumper represents exactly why there is such excitement around PureCycle and dissolution recycling,” said Nicolas Elwing, PureCycle’s Senior Director of Commercial in Europe. “For years, the automotive industry has been working to combine recycled materials with Class A quality. In collaboration with Motherson, there are now promising approaches to making this a reality.”
Elwing continued, “With EU ELVR mandates approaching and OEMs searching for qualified, traceable recycled material, PureFive is ready to be that solution. We look forward to sharing the news about this breakthrough at Startup Autobahn Expo.”
The collaboration between Motherson and PureCycle lays the foundation for continued work on automotive-grade material specifications, evaluating mass production with PureFive®, and advancing the long-term goal of a closed-loop recycling system “from bumper to bumper.” Future development goals also include increasing the recycled content to over 30% and expanding into additional PP applications for exterior and interior applications.
In addition to the Belgium facility, PureCycle is building a new dissolution recycling facility in Rayong, Thailand. Both facilities are expected to be operational before 2030, expanding PureCycle’s global capacity to serve the automotive supply chain as ELVR mandate deadlines approach.
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ALCHEMPro News Desk
