Working in conjunction with BASF, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is part of a pilot project called ChemCycling that upcycles domestic waste plastic, otherwise destined for landfill or incinerators, into new high-quality materials.
The ChemCycling project recycles plastic waste into premium material for potential use in future Jaguar and Land Rover models, following the successful testing on prototype production parts in the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE.
The waste plastic is transformed into pyrolysis oil using a thermochemical process. This secondary raw material is then fed into BASF’s production chain as a replacement for fossil resources; ultimately producing a new premium grade that replicates the high quality and performance of ‘virgin’ plastics. Importantly, it can be tempered and coloured making it the ideal sustainable solution for designing the next-generation dashboards and exterior-surfaces in Jaguar and Land Rover models.
Chris Brown, senior sustainability manager at JLR, said: “Plastics are vital to car manufacturing and have proven benefits during their use phase, however, plastic waste remains a major global challenge. Solving this issue requires innovation and joined-up thinking between regulators, manufacturers and suppliers.”
JLR has already met its 2020 target for zero waste to landfill for UK operations - including the removal of 1.3 million square metres of plastic from its manufacturing lineside and replacing 14 million single-use plastic items in business operations – along the road to its Destination Zero, a vision of the future with zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion.
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