Consortium develops new concepts for sustainable materials use

WIPAG is working with research institutions and companies from various industrial sectors under the project management of the BMW Group to develop new approaches for the use of sustainable materials in order to further improve material cycles in automotive manufacturing. The key aspect of the "Future Sustainable Car Materials" (FSCM) consortium project is to develop innovative process routes and material concepts across large sections of the value chain. The aim is to strengthen a closed-loop system for plastics and metals across the automotive value chain, increase the amount of secondary materials and bio-based materials, and reduce CO2 emissions.

As a specialist for plastics recycling, WIPAG is part of the lighthouse project and can support the establishment of circular economy processes as well as develop technologies for recycling compounds in open-loop and closed-loop processes. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) and is scheduled for three years.

"Currently, it is particularly challenging to provide materials from different recyclable material streams in a consistently high quality for circular economy. In the project, partners with different competencies in materials development will work closely together to develop solutions for this," says Martin Derks, Development Complete Vehicle, Leader Plastics at the BMW Group and project leader of FSCM.

The partners aim to reduce the carbon footprint in the extraction of materials and in their processing and recycling through the sustainable development of materials. In accordance with the principle of the circular economy, a high proportion of secondary materials is to be brought into the cycle, which is significantly less CO2-intensive than primary materials. In addition to plastics and metals recycling, the focus is also on new types of bio-based materials.

"The project is a great opportunity as it brings together numerous market players with different competences in materials development. We at WIPAG are proud to be able to make our contribution to this research project in order to shape the process chain of automobiles in a more sustainable way for the future," explains Thomas Marquardt, Managing Director Sales, Marketing & Development at WIPAG.

Taking advantage of synergies with Catena-X

In addition to providing a standardized data format for a digital fingerprint of materials, the "Catena-X" project also provides a platform for the collaborative cooperation of the FSCM consortium project.

"Catena-X" embodies the successful interaction of global actors in the field of sustainability and is funded by the BMWK. The project is linked to the European initiative "GAIA-X" and strives to create the first open and collaborative data ecosystem for the automotive industry by connecting manufacturers and suppliers across the value chain. It enables more efficient quality and logistics processes, greater transparency with regard to CO2 reduction, and simplified master data management. For example, in the production of high-voltage batteries, the genuine CO2 footprint from raw material to finished product can be displayed and optimized.

The FSCM consortium includes the following partners:

• WIPAG Deutschland GmbH

• BMW AG

• Constellium Rolled Products Singen GmbH & Co. KG

• Constellium Singen GmbH

• DRÄXLMAIER Group

• Encory GmbH

• Evonik Operations GmbH

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie ICT

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Holzforschung Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI

• Forward Engineering GmbH

• Kunststoff-Institut für die mittelständische Wirtschaft NRW GmbH

• material.one AG

• MOCOM Compounds GmbH & Co. KG

• thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG

• Toray Industries Europe GmbH

• TU München – Lehrstuhl für Werkstofftechnik der Additiven Fertigung MAT

• TU München – Lehrstuhl für Fördertechnik, Materialfluss und Logistik FML

• TU München – Lehrstuhl für Circular Economy CEC

WIPAG Deutschland GmbH is a specialist in material processing of technical plastic waste, the development of recycling technologies and the production of plastic compounds, including those based on recycled carbon fibres.

With innovative recycling technologies, the company prepares plastic waste streams that are reused as valuable materials in the products of the processing industries. The lightweight compound WIC, which is made from secondary carbon fibre, is also part of the WIPAG sustainable portfolio.