Q&A car recycling : Leonardo Forner: "We will have to wait a few more years to see a solid system in place when it comes to plastics recovery in the automotive sector"

What makes your recycling technology stand out from others in the market?

First of all, it should be said that Sirmax did not start out as a recycler, but its history is based on the development of high-performance virgin compounds dedicated to high-value markets such as automotive and household appliances. This is precisely why its sixty years of experience in the world of virgin raw materials has allowed it to approach the world of recycled materials with the same scientific approach. This means that the design phase of the recycling plant is aimed at obtaining a high-quality secondary raw material that meets the high standards required for use in compounding.

What changes have you seen in the car recycling industry over the years?

The planned amendment to the European End of Life Vehicle Directive (ELV) regarding the mandatory introduction of post-consumer recycled material in vehicles produced from 2031 onwards has prompted car manufacturers working on long-term projects (5 to 7 years from material design) to invest significant resources in researching solutions to meet these requirements. To date, 90% of Sirmax's R&D projects in the automotive sector are aimed at supporting OEM and Tier initiatives to find sustainable solutions.

To this end, we have developed specific families of high-performance materials based on PP resins, but also engineering plastics such as ABS, PC and PC/ABS, relying on our ability to integrate recycling and compounding activities to cover multiple applications, particularly in the automotive interior, which is considered the most demanding in terms of technical performance when it comes to the use of recycled materials.

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What are the biggest challenges facing the car recycling industry today?

From a supply chain point of view, Sirmax's recycling process today mainly uses post-consumer plastics collected from urban households. This supply stream is well established and reliable, at least in Italy, and would allow the large potential demand from the automotive sector to be met. On the other hand, we will have to wait a few more years to see a solid system in place when it comes to plastics recovery in the automotive sector. Although some supply chains are already sourcing secondary raw materials, the main critical issues related to the presence of very heterogeneous plastics, both because of their polymeric nature and because of their ageing, which has a very negative impact on performance and finally the relative cost of dismantling. Undoubtedly, the eco-design measures taken by designers and the orientation towards homogeneous materials for the production of components will be key points in solving this type of problem.

How do you see the future of car recycling, especially with the evolution of automotive technology?

As mentioned above, car manufacturers are investing heavily in the production of components that contain a proportion of recycled material and that can be easily dismantled and disassembled for proper recycling. New technologies applied to the recycling process, of which we already have some examples today, such as advanced material recognition systems through artificial intelligence applied to the sorting stages, will make it possible to obtain semi-finished products suitable for use in the manufacture of new environmentally friendly plastics. This will also be applied to new materials that will be used to meet the evolving needs of the industry, such as the advent of the electric car, which will require different specifications to the internal combustion car for some specific components.

How do you see the rise of electric vehicles impacting the car recycling industry?

Car manufacturers often combine the concept of the electric car with that of sustainable materials. There are many examples of this combination already on the market today. This technology requires specific applications and materials that can withstand the high stresses of the "under the bonnet" components. In this sense, with the exception of certain components that require specific technical specifications such as those mentioned above, we do not see a change in the choice of plastic materials closely linked to the use of this technology, but these are certainly parallel trends.

Do you collaborate with automakers or other industries to enhance the recyclability of vehicles?

Thanks to the expertise of its sister company Smart Mold, Sirmax is able to offer a customized service that accompanies the customer from the design phase of the component, through the choice of the right material, to the construction and optimization of the mold. In this way, we can contribute to increasing the recyclability of the vehicles we design.

How do you see regulations and government policies influencing the car recycling industry?

While consumers are becoming more environmentally aware, policymakers can make a significant contribution to the development of a particular technology or process. In the automotive world, the revision of the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) regulations, on the one hand, and the increasingly stringent environmental regulations in terms of sustainability and emissions, on the other, are the main pillars on which all OEMs are basing their current and future strategies.

It would be inappropriate to think that, given the investments they are currently making and the declarations they have made, there could be any backtracking on this issue by the major brands. Certainly, future European policies and their speed of implementation will be able to slow down or speed up this momentous change.

How do you see the global demand for recycled materials affecting your business?

It is precisely because automotive projects have a very long lead time that the current demand for recycled materials is completely misaligned with the potential demand. In this sector, extensive physical and mechanical testing is required to ensure that the recycled material passes all the tests it is subjected to, which in most cases are identical to those of the virgin component. At the moment, we are working on projects that will bring real demand to models that will be in production in a few years' time. Of course, once this new technology has been consolidated and validated, it is likely that there will be structural deficiencies if the supply chains do not grow at the same pace in parallel.

Are there any emerging markets or regions where you see significant growth potential for your technology?

Sirmax applies the integrated recycling and compounding technology in both Europe and North America through dedicated plants and production capacities, but with a differentiated approach, mainly related to the maturity of each market to assimilate this new technology and to have sufficiently solid supply chains for the automotive sector. When we talk about post-consumer, the growth potential is therefore mainly concentrated on the 'old continent', but in the near future, as the technologies are consolidated and assimilated in the US, they will be able to ensure significant volume growth in this market as well.