Audi, which works to reduce the material cycle in the automotive industry, is implementing a new joint project for the next step in this field: MaterialLoop.
Audi takes its work within the framework of its circular economy strategy further with a joint project called MaterialLoop.
Today, only a small portion of the materials used in new vehicle production are obtained by recycling used vehicles. Audi wants to change this by using secondary materials from end-of-life vehicles in the production of new cars. Stating that they implemented the MaterialLoop project for this purpose, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said, “The project emphasizes our ambitious vision of operating end-of-life vehicles with an efficient circular economy concept. Our primary goal is to recover as many materials as possible in high quality and reuse them in production. In this way, valuable primary materials will be preserved and the ecological footprint of the products will decrease. At the same time, by providing direct access to secondary materials, it can also contribute to the solution of the problems experienced in supply. There will be no need to extract raw materials.” he said.
In October last year, 100 used vehicles, including development vehicles, were dismantled as part of the joint MaterialLoop project. All high-quality secondary materials, such as large plastic parts, were separated for recycling. After the disassembly process, the remaining body of the vehicle was divided into material groups consisting of steel, aluminum, plastic and glass by the relevant project partner companies. In order to test the use of the obtained materials in the production of new automobiles, Audi defined and guided the recycling process together with the recycling industry companies among the project partners, companies in Audi’s supply chain and academic institutions.
Johanna Klewitz, Head of Audi Sustainable Supply Chain, says that thanks to the importance they attach to cycles in the industry, they allow their products and the materials they are made of to be used for as long as possible, and explains Audi’s vision on this issue as reducing the dependence on secondary materials in other sectors in the future. Improving the recyclability of next-generation Audi vehicles is the focus of focus work. The project, which is part of Audi’s circular economy strategy, also provides important information on how a circular economy should be implemented in practice. Audi Circular Economy Expert Dennis Meinen: “The circular economy is fundamentally about using resources responsibly. Longevity, repairability and indeed the recyclability of our products are the focus.” explains.
A new life for recycled steel: Audi A4 production
In the pilot project, which will continue until the end of April, Audi has implemented the data obtained from MaterialLoop and now ensures that some materials are fed back into automobile production. One of the results obtained in the project was that a significant part of the recycled scrap steel could be used in the production of new models. The first trial produced six steel coils made from approximately 12 percent secondary MaterialLoop materials, which meet Audi’s high quality standards and can be used for the most demanding structural components. Audi plans to use these steels in the door interior parts of 15 thousand Audi A4 models at its Ingolstadt pressing factory. Research conducted within the scope of the project reveals that the share of recycled steel in production can be further increased.
Together with its project partners, Audi also obtains new data for the design and construction of future models. Advances in sorting technology and “circular design” play a decisive role in Audi’s efforts to optimize the recyclability of new generation cars. When it comes to material selection, composition and modularity, this means designing automotive parts and components so that they can be sorted by material type during end-of-life recycling. As an additional result of the MaterialLoop project, Audi has also worked with the Volkswagen Group to develop a guide for suppliers explaining in which facilities plastic parts can be designed, which will further increase the rate of recycling in automotive production.
Experienced in glass, plastic and aluminum recycling
Wishing to steadily increase the share of recycled materials in its fleet in the coming years, Audi is pursuing with Audi Procurement the goal of creating material cycles for automotive applications wherever it is technically possible and makes economic and ecological sense. To this end, Audi started collecting information on the recycling of used car glass in the spring of 2022. In this pilot project, car windows that were beyond repair were first cut into small pieces and then sorted. The resulting glass granule was melted and formed into new flat glass for the automotive industry and is currently being used in the production of the Q4 e-tron.
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