Kraiburg TPE’s interior post-industrial recycled (PIR) thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) grades provide the automotive market with a reliable and sustainable alternative to virgin materials

Kraiburg TPE has launched its post-industrial recycled (PIR) thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) grades for interiors. With this range, the company explained, it expands its portfolio for OEMs and their parts suppliers, while helping to meet recycling rates and reduce the carbon footprint of automotive interior products.

PIR’s raw material is derived from the waste generated by the manufacturing processes of other companies’ plastic products. Kraiburg TPE uses it to promote sustainable applications in automotive interiors. Possible applications include anti-slip mats, floor mats, soft components in cup holders as well as fasteners. The series, details the company, is also suitable for applications that require a hardness range between 60 and 90 Shore A (depending on the recycled content).

These materials meet strict OEM emission and odor requirements and the material can be combined with polypropylene in coinjection molding or used as a soft single component solution. Additionally, PIR TPE provides abrasion resistance and fluidity combined with low density to keep part weight to a minimum.

“We are expanding our product range to include inner PIR TPE in response to sustainability concerns raised by OEMs. We are confident that our customers will benefit substantially from the option to use TPE based on recycled raw materials for automotive interiors,” said Matthias Michl, Head of Automotive Application Development at Kraiburg TPE.

Customers can also receive the necessary product carbon footprint (PCF) information. The PCF quantifies the CO2 footprint, in this case within the boundaries of the cradle-to-gate system. The global warming potential (GWP) of a product is calculated, which indicates how much the product contributes to global warming from the extraction of the raw material to the door of the product manufacturer. Manufacturers require this value to assess the carbon footprint of their components and ultimately the entire vehicle. Kraiburg TPE claims full transparency in the PCF assessment and calculates the values ​​in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14067 and DIN EN ISO 14044, following the GHG Protocol.

The product is available to customers in the EMEA sales region. Kraiburg TPE is currently working on local solutions for the APAC and North American markets.