Plastic Omnium has signed a deal with TotalEnergies for a new strategic partnership, which is aimed at collaboratively developing ways to use recycled polypropylene to manufacture plastic materials that will meet the automotive sector’s challenging safety and aesthetic standards.
The aerodynamic performance of automotive bodywork can be more easily improved through the use of plastics, which in turns reduces the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines and increases the range of electric cars.
TotalEnergies, which also makes Total lubricant products, will combine its engineering knowhow and innovativeness with that of Plastic Omnium to develop new recycled materials that will address the issue of what to do with plastics at the end of life, while also offering superior performance. These new materials may enable up to a six-fold reduction in carbon dioxide contribution compared to using virgin materials.
In a statement, TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice President for polymers, Valérie Goff, said the deal with Plastic Omnium exemplified taking an innovative and collaborative approach:
“To develop ever-higher and environmentally friendly recycled plastic materials that help our OEM and vehicle manufacturer customers to reduce their carbon footprints. This project will also contribute to addressing the challenge of the circular economy and to our ambition of producing 30% recycled and renewable polymers by 2030.”
Speaking for Plastic Omnium Intelligent Exterior Systems, CEO and President Stéphane Noël pointed out that manufacturers experience challenges in recycling plastics, so the new partnership would help the company to provide more environmentally friendly and integrated approaches, which in turn would help its customers to achieve their own decarbonisation goals.
