Avient adds recycled-content TPEs for automotive interiors
13 Aug 2023
Grades with post-consumer recyclate ‘can match performance to conventional elastomers’
Cleveland, Ohio – Avient Corp. has recently introduced two thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) containing post-consumer recyclate (PCR) for automotive interior applications.
Said to offer comparable performance to traditional TPEs, the reSound REC 7310 grades also meet common automotive OEM standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fogging.
Initial grades in the series are 80 and 90 Shore A durometers and contain 35% or 45% PCR content from recycled food packaging.
The TPEs can be injection moulded or over-moulded to polypropylene parts interior applications, such as door mats, console trays, trunk liners or dashboard components.
The materials are coloured black “to provide consistent and comparable aesthetics” to prime grades for OEM-specific blacks, said Avient.
“These materials enable automotive OEMs and tier 1s to satisfy performance needs and advance their sustainability goals,” said Matt Mitchell, director, global marketing, specialty engineered materials at Avient.
Use of recycled content also reduces carbon emissions, waste, and pollution at the beginning of the product life cycle for added environmental benefits, said Mitchell.
The reSound REC 7310 product series is manufactured and available in North America, Avient’s 19 July release concluded.
