Röchling Automotive puts sustainable organic plastic on the market

Worms - Green materials ensure sustainable mobility: The automotive industry is increasingly working on aligning vehicle production with the principles of sustainability. The development of appropriate materials plays a decisive role in this process.

With the bioplastic Röchling-BioBoom, Röchling Automotive is the first company on the market to have a patented polylactide (PLA)-based biopolymer that consists of at least 90 percent renewable raw materials. In this way, the company offers an ecological and economical alternative to most conventional materials such as polyester (PC, PET, PBT) but also polystyrene (ABS), polyolefins (such as PP) and polyamides (PA6).

‘We want to support our customers in the development of environmentally friendly vehicles and thus help shape the transformation of the industry towards a sustainable one,’ explains Prof. Dr. Hanns-Peter Knaebel, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Röchling Automotive. ‘With our bioplastics, we are bringing a sustainable solution to the market that originates from a completely self-controlled supply chain - from renewable resources to the automobile manufacturers’. Röchling Automotive has built up internal expertise in materials development over many years in cooperation with various partners.

With significant improvements in terms of thermal stability and chemical resistance compared to standard PLA, the new biopolymer family meets the company's high technical requirements and specifications.

Röchling BioBoom enables greenhouse gas emission savings that are about 70 percent higher than those of PP and almost 90 percent higher than those of PA6. This means that if the proportion of petrochemical plastics in a mid-sized car is replaced by Röchling Automotive's bioplastics, 515 kilograms of CO2 emissions can be saved per vehicle production.

Three standard types of Röchling Automotive biopolymers are currently available, which are suitable for applications in the engine compartment and underbody as well as for the interior of a vehicle. Each of the three types can be tailored to individual customer needs and the respective specific requirements. Röchling BioBoom can also be used for almost the entire product portfolio of Röchling Automotive.

With Röchling BioBoom, the plastics specialist once again underlines its role as a pioneer in the industry. For Prof. Dr. Hanns-Peter Knaebel, the sustainable material is also an initial indicator for a green future for the company: ‘We have set ourselves the goal of becoming the leading supplier of bioplastics and recycling materials in the automotive industry by 2035 at the latest. This means that we will noticeably increase our development activities in this area’. With the newly developed biopolymer, Röchling Automotive has already successfully initiated this important transformation process.

Please go to https://www.roechling-automotive.com/products-solutions/biopolymers for more information on Röchling-BioBoom.

Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)

The Röchling Group has been shaping industry. Worldwide. For nearly 200 years. We transform the lives of people every day with our customized plastics: they reduce the weight of cars, make medication packaging more secure and improve industrial applications. Our workforce of around 11,500 people is located in the places where our customers are – in 90 locations in 25 countries. The Group’s three divisions generated joint annual sales of 2.352 billion euros in 2019.

The Industrial division is the expert for optimal materials for every use. We develop and supply individual products made of plastic for all industrial areas. This is why we have the broadest product range of thermoplastics and composite materials. We supply our customers with semi-finished products or machined components.

The Automotive division advances mobility. Our product solutions in the areas of aerodynamics, propulsion and structural lightweight help solve major challenges. We protect the environment while also improving the driving experience.

The Medical division is the reliable partner to leading global companies when it comes to the components, services and smart plastic products that are needed in the healthcare industry. We develop solutions in the fields of diagnostics, fluid management, pharma as well as surgery and interventional.