Advancing Circularity: GIC Launches Automotive Plastics Circularity Pilot
This month we are proud to announce the launch of the world’s first Automotive Plastics Circularity pilot together with seven Global Impact Coalition members—BASF, Covestro, LyondellBasell, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, SABIC, SUEZ, and Syensqo. This groundbreaking pilot will address the critical challenge of recycling plastics from End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs).
In this pilot, we will dismantle, shred and sort plastic fractions, clustered into polymer-specific automotive parts, from 100 end-of-life vehicles. These sorted plastic fractions will then be recycled by collaborating companies. Focusing on bulk aggregation of ELV plastics, the pilot will serve to test and optimize a new approach to dismantling, sorting and recycling plastic fractions under real-world conditions.
Aside from the Automotive Plastics Circularity pilot, GIC working group teams are advancing on all other projects, meeting regularly both virtually and in-person during working group sprints. Here's an update on 2 ongoing GIC projects:
>> Sustainable Premium with Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
A new project, this working group is exploring several different avenues using AI to more clearly identify, trace and facilitate pricing of sustainable products from their chemical base along the value chain. Guided by BCG, the working group recently held a "shark tank" exercise to agree on the most promising avenue to develop.
>> Venture exploration with Deep Science Ventures (DSV)
The first phase of the project has now been finalised, after eight member organisations were interviewed on their activities and strategies towards decarbonisation of their chemical products, and their priorities in terms of key base chemicals emissions reductions. The team at DSV triaged these chemical groups on the basis of upside, neglect, and tractability and are currently diving deeper into low emission routes to aromatics, olefins, and syngas.
Who's Who: Meet 2 GIC Community Members
Thomas Canova
from Syensqo
What is needed to accelerate the transition to a circular economy?
“Collaboration through the GIC is crucial as it enables the sharing of resources and knowledge we need to create sustainable solutions that advance decarbonization and circularity."
What attracted you to join the Global Impact Coalition as the Project & Community Coordinator?
“Joining the Global Impact Coalition appealed to me for several reasons: its sustainable mission, the opportunity to collaborate with its members, and the potential for growth within the role."
Upcoming Webinar: Advancing Circularity Across the Automotive Plastics Value Chain
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, 25 March, 16h CET/11am EDT
Join the EY Circular Economy Network and the Global Impact Coalition for a dynamic discussion on driving plastics circularity in the automotive sector. This roundtable will bring together experts from EY, GIC, and leading chemical and automotive sector companies to explore the key challenges and opportunities in scaling End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) plastics recycling. From regulatory shifts to rethinking recycling, we’ll dive into what’s needed to unlock circular solutions across the value chain.
The road to net zero for the chemical industry isn’t just possible—it’s economically viable. But costs rise steeply up the value chain, which is why collaboration is essential. In this episode, ICIS' William Beacham interviews GIC's Charlie Tan and Lars Kissau from BASF and GIC's ExCom.
Insights from the "Art Walk" at LYB’s KunstStoffWelt Experience Center where chemical engineers, business leaders, artists, and university professors came together in a space designed to challenge perceptions, reframing how we see plastics, sustainability, and the role of art in shaping industry narratives.
