As the automotive industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, the EcoPlast project emerges as a pioneering initiative that blends advanced digital tools with cutting-edge recycling technologies to tackle one of the sector’s biggest sustainability challenges: plastic waste. Dr. Tamanna Khan, Chief Operating Officer at Technovative Solutions Ltd. (TVS), an innovation-driven UK company developing digital platforms for sustainability, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and climate resilience; and the Coordinator of the EcoPlast Project, shares her perspective on how EcoPlast is setting a new standard for circularity in automotive plastics.
A digital-first initiative transforming ELV plastics into high-value resources through circular innovation
The primary objective of the Empowering Circular Operations in the Automotive Plastics Value Chain (EcoPlast) Project is to develop comprehensive, Industry 4.0-based digital solutions that enhance circularity in automotive plastics value chains.
Every year, over 6 million vehicles reach their end of life in Europe and are treated as waste; only 19% of plastics from these End-of-life vehicles (ELV) are recycled. Inadequate handling of these ELV plastics leads to pollution and incurs costs. To increase circularity in these value chains, the automotive industry must increase the share of recycled plastics in its new products. Currently, they account for only 3.2% of total post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, which is a very low percentage compared to other plastic sectors. To this extent, the EC has proposed a new regulation that mandates 25% of the plastics used in new cars come from recycled materials, a quarter of which must originate from ELVs. To achieve this goal, 30% of plastics from ELVs should be recycled, up from the current 19%. At the same time, aspects of reuse, repair, refurbishment & remanufacture of used plastic parts need to be popularised in the automotive industry for transition to Circular Economy (CE).
However, the industry envisages the following challenges to achieve this target:
● Lack of trust in secondary plastics
● Lack of control over supply chains
● Lacking focus on material efficiency and design for circularity
● Unsustainable product lifetimes
● Lack of repair services
● Price gap between primary and secondary material
● Lack of secondary material markets
● Insufficient collection and sorting systems
● Insufficient and unpredictable input quality for recycling
● Insufficient information about quality & quantity of materials, microplastics pollution & substances of concern
● Lack of communication along the lifecycle between manufacturers and recyclers
● Lack of involvement & empowerment of citizens in environmentally informed purchases
EcoPlast solution will address all the above challenges and pave the way for the automotive plastic sector in transition towards CE. In the heart of the solution lies the EcoPlast Platform, which will connect all other components of the solution. The other components of the EcoPlast solution are blockchain-based Digital Product Passport (DPP) framework, Circularity Index (CI) calculator, Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), Cost Modelling Framework (CMF), Circular Marketplace, Collaborative Space (CS), Digital Twins (DTs) with IoT, sensors & actuators, Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies, solution-based purification (SBP) recycling processes, chemical and enzymatic upcycling processes etc. These solutions will help ensure high quality, non-toxicity and durability of secondary materials. The share of secondary materials will be increased in new products. Recovery, recycling and upcycling rates will be increased, and the uptake of secondary materials for high-value applications will be proliferated.
To address the above challenges and to streamline with the European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), the EU’s plastics strategy, and the proposed ELV Regulation, the EcoPlast project is offering comprehensive technology solutions for automotives to achieve the high level of ambition set by the EC.
A circular marketplace on the platform will help trading recycled and upcycled products. This will also facilitate the reuse, repair, refurbishment, and remanufacture of dismantled automotive plastic parts. These activities will help create new value chains in the automotive plastic sector. Automotive plastic parts will be manufactured in this project using recycled plastics, biocomposites and bio-based plastics and will be demonstrated, tested, and validated alongside the developed digital technologies in large-scale facilities. Novel recycling and upcycling technologies will also be demonstrated. The wider adoption of the EcoPlast solution will help address almost all the challenges that automotive plastic value chain actors are currently facing.
Leveraging AI and blockchain to build trust, traceability, and transparency in automotive plastic recycling
Traceability, transparency, and trust regarding materials and products are critical for value chain partners, including regulators and policymakers, to promote circularity and truly achieve sector-specific targets (such as recyclability and recycled content) in the plastic sector. There is a lack of specific standards, guidelines, and rules to ensure traceability at the material level and to accurately calculate the recycled content in automotive plastic parts, which can be produced by blending virgin material with recycled material sourced from multiple sources employing both mechanically and chemically recycled processes. Currently, some standards and guidelines exist for calculating the recycled content of single-use plastic (SUP) products.
In the EcoPlast Project, harmonised methodologies to calculate the recycled contents will be developed. The partners will also formulate a set of recommendations regarding the methods for third-party verification and certification of the recycled content claims for automotive plastic parts.
An AI model to predict the required properties of virgin plastic, bio-based plastic, bio-composites (plastics with bio-based filler), and recycled plastic will be developed. LCA, cost modelling framework and Circulatory Index (CI) calculator will estimate the environmental footprint, cost, and CI metric of products. All these tools will help adopt CE practices during product design. Moreover, AI models will be developed to select specific bacteria and catalysts for chemical and enzymatic upcycling of plastics, respectively. This will create new value chains around the upcycled material.
A secure Digital Product Passport (DPP) framework for the automotive plastic value chain will be developed and implemented through a blockchain network. Every material and product flow within the value chain will be traced via DPP. Critical data, such as traceability provenance, chain of custody (CoC), recycled content, material composition & properties, LCA data, etc., will be marked as certified or non-certified. Without DPP (at batch level), no material, including secondary raw material, will be allowed to be placed in the digital marketplace.
This approach will certainly ensure trust and transparency about the data inside the DPP. Once created, DPPs will be tamper-proof, decentralised, and secure with blockchain technology. When blockchain’s properties of decentralisation, immutability, transparency and security are combined, this will provide a single source of truth for the supply chain.
Collaboration with leading automakers drives real-world testing and adoption of circular plastic solutions
The EcoPlast consortium comprises three major auto manufacturers and their tier 1 suppliers (Assan Hanil, Adler Pelzer) and tier 2 suppliers (Eurotec, Proplast), all based in Italy and Türkiye. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are Ford Otosan (FO), Mercedes-Benz Turk (MBT) and the Stellantis group (represented by FIAT or CRF). These three automakers together sold 4.13 million vehicles in Europe in 2023. Total new car sales in Europe were 10.5 million in 2023. Hence, our consortium represents approximately 40% of the European auto market.
Within the context of the EcoPlast project, Ford will take on the role of spearheading the development of Use Case 1 (Defroster channel with higher recycled content from closed-loop sources) and Use Case 2 (IP Substrate (GFRP part) with higher recycled content from closed-loop sources), which are focused on an automotive industry pilot and electric energy storage production pilot.
Mercedes-Benz Turk (MBT) is engaged in manufacturing operations for buses and trucks for the domestic and international market. MBT will be developing the design optimisation of the mould and rear bumper, and Use Case 3 (Bio-composite-based rear bumper with higher recycled content).
CRF is the research centre of the STELLANTIS (FIAT) group. The expertise is related to automotive components and, in particular, is involved within the “Composites” team. FIAT is interested in evaluating the sustainability of automotive car parts through the use of the platform. They will support Use Case 4 (Design for recyclability, reusability through repairing and remanufacturing) by providing end-of-life components and knowledge.
Moreover, EcoPlast consortium is well balanced to deliver the target and formed by incorporating almost all key actors of automotive value chain, starting from the compounders (Eurotec, Proplast) through the processors/converters (Assan Hanil, Adler Pelzer) and OEMs (Ford Otosan, Centro Ricerche Fiat SCPA, Mercedes-Benz Turk, Stryker Design Limited) to the ATFs (Authorised Treatment Facility: Beker Recycle, Pollini Lorenzo), recycling/upcycling technology providers (Sabanci University, Cardiff University, Brunel University London) and digital technology service provider and developer (Technovative Solutions Ltd., DigiProd Pass Ltd., Simularge Technologies).
Driving environmental sustainability and unlocking new economic value through circular automotive plastics Environmental impact:
If the EcoPlast project successfully meets its goals, the anticipated environmental impact would be substantial and transformative for the automotive plastic value chain. The project is designed to foster a robust circular economy by integrating digital innovations with sustainable material practices. One of the central achievements would be a significant increase in the share of secondary materials used in new automotive products. These materials, recovered through improved recycling and upcycling processes, are expected to meet high standards for quality, non-toxicity, and durability.
The development of the EcoPlast platform will enable more sustainable design and production decisions throughout the lifecycle of automotive plastics. AI and robotics will streamline end-of-life vehicle (ELV) management, enhancing detection, sorting, and dismantling operations. This not only reduces waste but also ensures more effective material recovery. Additionally, the project’s circular marketplace will support the trading, reuse, repair, refurbishment, and remanufacturing of plastic parts, which further reduces dependency on virgin materials and minimises environmental footprints. Through these innovations, EcoPlast aims to address the prevailing sustainability challenges in the sector. It promises to decrease landfill waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic production, and reduce pollution by encouraging the use of bio-based and recycled materials. Ultimately, EcoPlast not only contributes to environmental protection but also paves the way for new sustainable business models within the automotive industry.
Economic impact:
The economic impact is likely to be both profound and multi-dimensional, with benefits spanning several sectors and regions. At its core, the project is designed to revolutionise the automotive plastics value chain by enhancing circularity—integrating advanced digital solutions, sustainable materials, and novel recycling technologies. This transformation is expected to yield substantial economic value. EcoPlast will create multiple value chains around virgin-grade recycled material, monomers (for high-value applications), digital technologies, reuse/repair/remanufacturing, etc.
The platform’s circular marketplace, which facilitates the trade of recycled and upcycled plastics and supports reuse, repair, refurbishment, and remanufacturing, will stimulate economic activity in emerging green sectors. This has the potential to create new business models and generate employment in industries focused on sustainable materials management, engineering, and digital services.
Closing Remarks
The EcoPlast project is not only addressing environmental concerns but also unlocking new economic opportunities across the value chain. With strong collaboration from industry leaders, robust technological innovation, and a clear alignment with EU policy frameworks, EcoPlast is paving the way for a truly circular economy in automotive plastics. As we move forward, initiatives like EcoPlast remind us that the journey towards circularity is complex—but this is essential, and with digital intelligence, regulatory alignment, and collective action, we are well on our way.
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) Research & Innovation Actions under grant agreement No 101182147.
