Kraiburg TPE recently released a new range of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) products that contain at least 73% recycled content. The new Recycling Content TPE for Automotive series has been designed to fulfill a variety of technical applications.

Kraiburg TPE also announced an agreement with Tessi Supply, which will use the grades to produce inlay cases and floor mats.

Automotive manufacturers and the broader automotive value chain are increasingly searching for lightweight and sustainable materials to perform crucial functions and applications. This is for a variety of reasons.

First, regulations and laws being passed by governments and regional authorities are tightening up rules on the use of recycled content in vehicles as they seek to transition to net zero economies and societies. For example, new EU regulation proposals on circular vehicle design and end-of-life vehicle management requirements target a recycled material average of 25% per car, including 6.25% from closed-loop post-consumer recycled (PCR) sources.

Second, there is growing demand and pressure from end users, both in consumer and commercial circles. Significant portions of the general driving public want to do their bit by using environmentally friendly vehicles, while businesses operating commercial fleets have important ESG criteria to fulfill.

Kraiburg TPE is supporting the automotive value chain in fulfilling these demands with its portfolio of sustainable TPE materials. The latest release to market is Recycling Content TPE for Automotive, which will replace the current Interior PIR TPE ranges in 2024 and is available to customers in the EMEA region.

The formulation developed by Kraiburg TPE is a combination of various recycled raw materials that guarantees at least 73% recycled content over a range of hardness ratings (20 to 95 Shore A). Compared to the virgin compound, this represents a 25% reduction in carbon footprint.

All recycled raw material components have been carefully researched and developed to provide more sustainable gains without sacrificing on performance demanded by OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

Because Recycling Content TPE for Automotive covers the full range of hardness, these products can be used to fulfill a variety of automotive applications including interior and exterior as well as powertrain applications.