Friedrichshafen, Germany — Porto de Mos, Portugal-based Cabopol Polymer Compounds SA has launched a new range of recycled polypropylene compounds designed for automotive and industrial applications.
Cabopol is using the recycled-content compounds to stay competitive amid growing demand for sustainable solutions in a softening automotive market, Anselmo Mendes, head of sales told Plastics News at Fakuma trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The R-Sofiprime portfolio now includes a compound with 70 percent recycled content for industrial injection parts and a new grade specifically developed for the automotive industry, containing 35 percent recycled material.
"As the automotive sector faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable materials, R-Sofiprime provides a reliable solution that balances recycled content with high durability and functionality, making it ideal for automotive manufacturers aiming to reduce their environmental impact," a news release from the compounder said.
"I think we are all a little bit worried," about slow-downs in demand from automotive market, "mainly in Europe," Mendes said, adding that as Chinese automotive brands enter Europe, import duties "will not be enough. Chinese [brands] will easily open plants in Europe, and they will run away from the tax. We need to be cleverer and faster. … The next couple of years will be tough."
To assist customers in making informed decisions, Cabopol offers life cycle analyses, providing a comprehensive overview of the environmental impact of its products.
Cabopol is "investing a lot internally in machines to be able to process recycled raw materials," Mendes said. "In the near future that will be mandatory [in the EU] for the automotive industry."
Customers are inquiring about recycled content "every week," he said, adding that the company is focusing on its "capacity to be flexible as a compounder."
"We have lots of different materials, lots of different internal codes. We can produce each material according the specifications of our customers."
Cabopol has two plants in Portugal and one each in Morocco, Serbia and Mexico. The company's core business is automotive at about 50 percent of sales.It also supplies to customers in consumer good, medical, packaging and food packaging.