More sustainable TPE solution with high recycling content for automotive sealing systems

Based on its established THERMOLAST® K product series, KRAIBURG TPE has developed a materials solution that combines established product characteristics with advanced sustainability features. The material specially designed for automotive sealing applications has a recycling content made of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates of more than fifty percent. At the same time, the material meets the high requirements of the automotive industry for quality, processability and functionality.

KRAIBURG TPE has been cooperating with SaarGummi, an international automotive supplier, for many years. The aim of the current development work was to develop a more sustainable material variant that can be integrated into existing applications without compromising on performance or processability.

Sustainable materials development for sophisticated automotive applications
The requirements for materials used in automotive applications are high: In addition to mechanical load capacity and resistance to different environmental influences, reliable processing in industrial production processes also plays a crucial role. At the same time, sustainability aspects along the whole value chain are becoming increasingly important.

With this in mind, the project partners began developing an alternative materials solution with increased recycling content in 2023. The focus was on maintaining existing materials standards, while increasing the use of recycled raw materials.

Successful tests confirm materials performance
Both the existing material and the new recycling variant were already tested in comparable conditions at an early project stage. The results showed that the new materials solution meets the relevant requirements and can be reliably integrated into the production process.

Alexander Mayer, Senior Business Development Manager at KRAIBURG TPE, explains: “The first results have shown that we are on the right track with this development. Our aim was to design a materials solution that saves more resources, while meeting the high quality standards of the automotive industry.”

High recycling content with unchanged performance
The result of the joint development effort is a TPE solution with a recycling content of about 56 percent. The recycling content consists of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates and enables a materials option with reduced resource consumption for sophisticated automotive applications.

Sebastien Roux, TPE Material & Process Specialist at SaarGummi, comments: “The new material meets the requirements of our application and can be reliably combined with existing components. At the same time, the increased recycling content makes an important contribution to greater sustainability.” It was possible not only to increase the recycling content, but also to reduce the product carbon footprint (PCF) of the material compared to that of the previous variant.