Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany) has announced an enhanced collaboration with Chinese plastics recycling company Ausell. Building on their previous partnership in recycling polycarbonate water barrels, this new collaboration aims to accelerate the recycling of plastics from end-of-life vehicles, contributing to the automotive industry’s circularity by transforming waste into valuable materials for new automotive components.
Since 2020, Covestro has been partnering with Ausell to recycle 1 million 19-liter polycarbonate water barrels annually, converting them into high-performance post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonates for various industries such as electronics, home appliances and automotive. With this strengthened collaboration, Ausell will supply recycled polycarbonates derived from discarded automotive headlamps, which Covestro will then process into high-quality PCR materials for automotive engineering applications. This partnership marks a further step to effectively closing the plastics recycling loop within the automotive sector, reducing waste and carbon emissions while enhancing resource efficiency.
Lily Wang, Global Head of the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at Covestro, said: “We are excited to deepen our partnership with Ausell as we work closely with our value chain partners to accelerate the circular transformation of the automotive industry. Together, we are committed to pioneering sustainable solutions that will lead the way toward a circular and climate-neutral future.”
Xia Wenjun, CEO of Ausell, added: “Our enhanced collaboration with Covestro represents a significant step toward achieving our shared vision of a circular economy. By turning end-of-life automotive components into valuable resources, we are not only reducing waste but also contributing to the development of sustainable materials for future vehicle production.”
The automotive industry, facing increasing regulatory pressures for sustainability, as well as following their own roadmap to “close the loop” of materials, is looking for robust and adapted solutions to their challenges.
This collaboration positions Covestro and Ausell at the forefront of efforts to develop compliant, high-performance materials while addressing the challenges of plastic waste management and resource utilization in the automotive industry. The recycled polycarbonates will not only enhance the sustainability of automotive components but also demonstrate the potential for high-value recycling solutions.