The first set of RecyClass Recyclability Evaluation Protocols for Automotive and Electrical & Electronic Equipment (EEE) has been published following intense collaboration with the plastic value chain.
Grounded in the European state-of-the-art recycling infrastructure, the protocols focus on polymers that are commonly recovered and recycled in these industries, which include polypropylene (PP), mineral-filled polypropylene (PP-MF), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene blend (PC-ABS).
The first newly launched protocol is the ‘Recyclability Evaluation Protocols for Automotive and EEE Resin Validation’, which will allow companies producing resins to test their compatibility with standard recycling conditions and determine if they can be used as control material for the Recyclability Evaluation Protocols for Single Components. In parallel, the ‘Recyclability Evaluation Protocols for Single Components used in Automotive and EEE applications’, focus on evaluating the compatibility with recycling processes of fillers, additives, coatings, superficial treatments, adhesives, etc., of the above-mentioned recovered and recycled polymers.
Looking ahead, a new protocol on multi-component materials is currently in the pipeline. This protocol will assess how different polymers and materials in vehicles or electrical and electronic appliances can be separated during the recycling process, as well as how assembly choices impact the overall recyclability of plastic components.
RecyClass encourages companies across the Automotive and EEE sectors to test their technologies using RecyClass Recyclability Evaluation Protocols, thereby contributing to the generation of additional knowledge that will help build sector-specific Design for Recycling Guidelines and anticipate legislative changes.