PLASTIC

PITFALLS

05

220

KILOGRAMS OF

PLASTIC PARTS IN

THE SCALA MODEL

NO PLASTIC

WASTE AT ALL

USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS IN ŠKODA BRAND CARS

Š

KODA AUTO is continuously striving to increase the proportion of

recyclable materials in its vehicle designs. Since they are subject to the

same quality requirements as new materials, their introduction is preceded by

extensive research. “In the past, people would spend a lot of money on developing plastics with excellent and diverse

properties. However, improving their recycling and re-use technologies was not

the main priority”, says Jan Sláma of the

EKX/2 – Corrosion, Weather Resistance,

and Material Development Department.

“ We have to make sure that our

choice of material does not limit the functionality of any part”, continues Radka Kubínová from the same department.

Therefore, recycled materials are mainly used in places where the part is subject to less stringent requirements. They

have proved their worth, for example, in

wheel arches and chassis anti-impact covers, where they perform protective functions. However, they may also be used

for more demanding applications, such as

covering a water canal or, in the future, lining the trunk. Recycled materials result,

for example, from unused parts produced during our parts production (post-industrial recycled materials). The recycling

of old parts also processes materials that

have been used once (post-consumer

recycled materials); however, in this case,

they are usually not 100 percent recycled.

“They must be supplemented with some

new substances, and every production

batch must be perfectly watched. One

example includes plastic covers under wipers whose production included 50 percent of battery packs”, explains Lukáš Zuzánek from the same department.

Incorporating these materials into the

car interior is a more complicated step

due to the strict emissions and odour

requirements. PET bottle recycling technologies have proved successful in the

production of floor carpet and trunk flooring. Recycled textiles are used for floor

damping. “However, in the case of polypropylene, the use of recycled materials

is more difficult because the materials degrade by their subsequent processing.

We must either have a source of sufficient quality or apply, for example, a chemical recycling method”, says Kubínová, adding that new challenges include devising

ways to increase the proportion of these materials in the car interior. Other possibilities are under development, such as

fibres obtained from unused portions of

coconut, flax, beet or coffee grounds that

would serve as plastic fillers. All this occurs in order to conserve natural resources and use waste material. RED

OWING TO ITS PROPERTIES, PLASTIC IS

IRREPLACEABLE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. IT

HAS PUSHED OUT METAL, CONTRIBUTED TO LOWER

CAR WEIGHTS AND REDUCED CO2 PRODUCTION AND

FUEL CONSUMPTION

10

ŠKODA MOBIL DECEMBER 2019

POST-INDUSTRIAL

RECYCLED MATERIALS

The production of plastic

parts generates unusable

pieces and items that used

to be discarded in the past.

Today, they are used for

recycled materials production.

They have an advantage

because of their clear source

of materials, which can be

used completely from scratch.

POST-CONSUMER

RECYCLED MATERIALS

The recycling of old plastic

parts processes materials

used in the past. The

advantage lies in the sufficient

and cheap resource that

would otherwise end up

in landfills. However, its

mechanical properties are

worse than those of new

materials.

131

KILOGRAMS OF

PLASTIC ARE USED

FOR THE CAR’S

INTERIOR AND

EXTERIOR

Improvement

Motivational Campaign

Join our new Plastic Pitfalls

campaign jointly prepared by

the SP/2 – Improvement and

PSU – Ecology and Labour

Protection departments. Its goal

is to prevent plastic waste. That

is why improvement proposals

should address, in particular, the

reduction of disposable plastic

packaging or its replacement with

other materials. We also welcome

proposals on removing multi-type

plastic packaging. The innovators

who are selected will receive our

stylish home composter.

The campaign is running

from 1 December 2019

to 28 February 2020

14

KILOGRAMS IS THE

WEIGHT OF RECYCLED

PLASTIC PARTS USED

IN THE SCALA MODEL

(ORANGE ITEMS IN THE

FIGURE)