Auto parts suppliers target recycled plastics - sources

28 April 2009 23:10  [Source: ICIS news]

STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan (ICIS news)--Automobile parts makers are keeping their eyes on recycled material as a way to keep costs down and make environmental claims, sources said on Tuesday on the sidelines of a US conference.

Parts suppliers Asahi Kasei, Inteva and others said recycled material was still gaining in popularity as manufacturers look to cut costs. That they could claim recycled material as an environmentally friendly option only helped, they said.

“Regardless of what you say about being green, recycled material allows you to keep your costs down,” Jay Raisoni, staff engineer for tier-one supplier Inteva said from the sidelines of the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Auto Epcon conference. “The only challenge is finding it in enough consistency and plentiful supply for a project.”

Use of recycled or reground polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) grew last year as commodity prices soared on the back of record-high crude oil prices.

Despite plastic prices dropping in line crude’s fall, companies worried about cash flow have kept their focus on using recycled material, sources said. 

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By: Ben Lefebvre
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