Association for developing the recycling of PVC in the Automotive Industry
PVC in Cars
The percentage of plastics used in the car industry has risen constantly during the last 40 years. It is not by chance that this percentage has increased from 2% in 1965 up to 18% today.
Some examples of plastics breakdown (weight in kg without textile and sealant) in recent cars figure in the following table (Source MAVEL).
| POLYMERS | Renault Modus |
Smart Forfour |
BMW 1 Serie |
Toyota Aygo |
Honda FR-V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene | 77 | 64 | 72 | 47 | 68 |
| Polyurethane | 19 | 27 | 29 | 12 | 19 |
| Polyamide | 16 | 10 | 28 | 8 | 6 |
| Satured Polyesters | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Polyethylene | 8 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 9 |
| PVC | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| ABS | 5 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| Polyacetal (POM) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Polycarbonate | 2 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Other Plastics | 10 | 27 | 28 | 10 | 34 |
| TOTAL | 148 | 180 | 200 | 90 | 154 |
There are several good reasons, which explain this increase. Plastics, and particularly PVC, exhibit many advantages, they include:
- High versatility allowing a wide range of applications,
- Excellent resistance to ageing and ease of maintenance,
- Highly competitive production cost,
- A combination of exceptional production and use experience,
Thanks to the use of plastics, modern vehicles are lighter. This contributes to a sustainable development due to:
- A decrease in fuel consumption,
- Reduced exhaust gas emissions into the atmosphere,
- And consequently, a better environment while saving natural resources.
It has been estimated that around 180 kg of plastics found on a typical vehicle provide for a reduction in fuel consumption of between 10-12 %, representing a saving of 1 000 litres over the life of the vehicle.
If this calculation is applied on a European scale, this gives an annual saving of almost 12 000 000 tonnes of fuel or more than 30 000 000 tonnes of CO2.
As PVC content is between 3 and 10% of plastics used in the automotive industry, it accounts for a significant proportion of this resource preservation and positive impact on environment.