EPICEA project objective : Improving the proportions of recycled plastic content for car bodies.

– In anticipation of the future European regulations and in response to consumer aspirations, car manufacturers wish to develop a circular approach with regard to plastic components.

– Vehicles arriving on the market between 2024 to 2025 will therefore incorporate from 25% to 30% of recycled plastics, compared to 15% at present. Not only hidden parts but visible components will have to contain recycled plastics processed with post-consumer wastes.

– As a leading supplier of exterior body parts, Plastic Omnium is actively working to make this transition an industrial success and has just been awarded a grant from ADEME as part of its ORPLAST (Objectif Recyclage PLASTiques) funding window.

– The objective is to continue and strengthen the activities already underway to ensure the highest possible rate of recycled plastics while guaranteeing optimal quality and reliability as well as efficient industrialisation.

– The main challenge for these materials will be to offer consistent performance despite variations in the sources of waste materials used in their composition. The study therefore includes processability, stability and paintability tests on a large scale and over a long period of time in order to have a complete and exhaustive view of the performance of these new materials.