Borealis introduces PP compound portfolio with post-consumer recycled content

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, Borealis, Europe's second largest producer of PE and PP, has announced the launch of a new portfolio of polypropylene compound grades composed of post-consumer recycled (PCR) and virgin content. The new compounds are targeted at interior, exterior and under-the-bonnet (UTB) automotive applications.

The new Borealis Daplen grades aim to provide an example of how to better use natural resources and reduce waste by combining post-consumer recycled (PCR) and virgin material.

Sustainable sourcing has been somewhat of a challenge for OEMS and Tier One suppliers. Finding product at the right price, with consistent quality and quantity, with reduced environmental impact and safe to use has not been easy, but it's a problem that Borealis has now addressed with the launch of its three new Daplen grades.

Developed and produced in Europe for Borealis' European partners and customers, the new compounds are designed to improve sustainability while maintaining process performance and cost efficiency. In addition, they help meet rising end-user demand for materials and applications with enhanced environmental sustainability, a trend that is especially pronounced in European markets. This trend is also reflected through other important stakeholders, like European policymakers, aiming to increase recycling targets on the European continent.

"We see a clear trend toward the use of recyclates together with virgin materials," explains Jost Eric Laumeyer, Borealis global marketing manager engineering applications. "Today, answering the call for materials with increased sustainability and increasing resource efficiency is no longer an aspiration, but a business imperative for the automotive industry."

Plastics are simply too valuable a resource to discard after use. Instead, they should be recycled into new products. The new Daplen grades are a prime example of how to better use natural resources and reduce waste by combining PCR and virgin material to produce high-end grades with long-term quality consistency.

Interestingly, the new grades originated as a result of a collaborative development project with an OEM partner. Now, however, their application has broadened into the market, to support OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in their efforts to increase the use of recycled materials.  "Whilst at the same time not compromising on material characteristics," declared Harald Hammer, Borealis VP of engineering applications.

The three new compound grades with PCR content are:

• Daplen ME225SY, which comprises 25% PCR content, 20% talc and 55% virgin material, and is primarily intended for interior automotive applications such as door and trunk claddings and trims.
• Daplen MD250SY has a higher - 50% - PCR content, 20% talc and 30% virgin material, and is intended mainly for UTB and exterior applications such as bumper components and exterior trims.
• Daplen MD325SY, comprise 25% PCR content, 30% talc and 45% virgin, and is intended for use in UTB and exterior applications.