Porsche has achieved a major milestone in its circular economy strategy.
The company is piloting a chemical recycling process that transforms complex, mixed automotive waste—known as automotive shredder residues (ASR)—into high-quality raw materials for new vehicle components.
The luxury car manufacturer, working with BASF SE and technology partner BEST, demonstrated a new process for Automotive Shredder Residues (ASR). This highly complex waste, which previously could only be incinerated, can now be converted into polyurethane foam used in the production of Porsche steering wheels.
From shredder to steering wheel:
The pilot project used a gasification process to convert the shredded mixture of plastic, film, paint, and foam, combined with biomass, into synthesis gas. This circular raw material fully replaced fossil feedstocks in the initial stages of production. Using a mass balance approach, BASF then manufactured the polyurethane formulation required for new steering wheels.
Dr. Robert Kallenberg, Head, Sustainability, Porsche, noted the long-term strategic importance of the project. “Pilot projects like these allow us to evaluate how we can further develop the circular economy as a sustainability field at Porsche and how we can anchor chemical recycling in our strategy in the long term,” he said. “We are testing new recycling technologies with our direct partners in order to increase recyclate quotas, gain access to previously unusable recyclate sources and evaluate new processes for waste streams that are currently being thermally utilized.”
Dr. Martin Jung, President, Performance Materials division, BASF, reinforced the position that chemical recycling is a vital complement to mechanical methods. “We are convinced that complementary technologies such as chemical recycling… are necessary to further promote the circular economy and reduce the plastic waste that still ends up in landfills or is incinerated today,” he explained.
Dr. Matthias Kuba from BEST highlighted the technological success: “In this pilot project together with BASF and Porsche, we have now used this gasification technology for the first time to convert complex plastic waste streams together with biomass into synthetic crude oil… This form of chemical recycling has great potential for converting complex, mixed waste streams into new, valuable raw materials.”
