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)