Circular Design & Sustainable Materials

Electrification is cutting cut tailpipe emissions, but emphasis is shifting to what vehicles are made of and what happens at end of life. For the plastics industry, especially in interiors, this marks a decisive shift.

OEMs are embracing circular design, demanding cost-neutral materials that are not just lightweight and aesthetic, but also recyclable, recycled, or bio-based. Trims, skins, and substrate systems are under review, with pressure to reduce fossil content, perform well in LCA analysis, simplify disassembly, and enable traceability.

Suppliers with validated low-carbon solutions, scalable recycled content strategies, or clear pathways to circularity can secure an advantage in RFQs. For plastics engineering, the challenge is clear: integrate sustainability without compromising performance, and work upstream to align with new design-for-circularity targets.