Audi: Soon a 100% recycled car?

Audi has announced a project to recycle materials from end-of-life vehicles for reuse in other cars.

Until the end of April, the four-ring brand is studying the recovery capacities of materials from its end-of-life vehicles to potentially reuse them in its future models. Thus, Audi aims to promote its circular economy project while reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles.

This could potentially lower the purchase prices of cars. Future buyers of the brand would benefit. This recycling involves steel, plastic, aluminum, and glass. This pilot project by Audi, entitled “Material Loop”, has partnered with recycling companies, Audi’s logistics chain, and academic research.

Recycling is Saving

According to the company’s CEO, the project aims to recover a “maximum amount of high-quality recyclable material from old Audi vehicles and recycle it into other vehicles”. He adds that this would help reduce the extraction of new raw materials such as petroleum-derived plastics. This initiative is part of a broader sustainable development project by the Volkswagen Group.

🌎 The resources on our planet are limited. One key aspect of our #sustainability strategy is #recycling and reusing materials wherever it is possible. This reduces our carbon footprint while at the same time it can reduce costs for our customers. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/gqbVzhsgAU
— Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) May 18, 2022

By using materials from old vehicles, it can help reduce the production costs of new vehicles. Manufacturing internally rather than relying on external subcontractors also ultimately ensures better quality for the new vehicle. This makes it both more environmentally friendly and more economical for consumers and the Audi brand.

Industrial Pollution Contributing to Climate Change

Audi - Material Loop - Catalyst — Old Audi catalysts containing rare earth elements, prepared for recycling (© Audi AG)

Indeed, a study published in 2022 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that only 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019. This figure rises to 22% for improperly managed waste or waste rejected into the environment.

The automotive industry, which uses a lot of materials such as plastic and aluminum, therefore plays an important role in waste reduction. This Audi project could even be considered somewhat outdated, given current knowledge about industrial pollution. Furthermore, aluminum and glass are already 100% recyclable.

However, this pilot project could, in the future, enable other automakers and industries to launch their own recycling projects. In other words, even if Material Loop is currently just a research project, it could lead to the development of new recycling processes in the industry for a more positive environmental contribution.