PSA Peugeot Citroën has announced an ambitious target to use 30 per cent renewable materials in place of plastics all its cars by 2013.
The group announced the objective as part of a review of its ‘green materials plan’ set up last year. The goal will see the car giant make greater use of natural fibre-based plastics (or polymers) made from linen and hemp, and utilise non-metallic recycled materials and biomaterials, rejecting traditional plastics made from petrochemicals.
The aim is to use fewer fossil fuel-based plastics and to increase the use of raw materials from renewable sources to not only cut CO2 emissions during manufacture and promote recycling but to make the finished cars lighter. This will mean that the carmaker can produce more fuel efficient cars which will produce fewer emissions during their lifecycle use too.
An initial target for eco-design is to include 20 per cent green materials in the polymers used to build its cars by 2011.
As the average car is currently made up of 70 per cent metal, already largely recycled, polymers remain a relative weak spot in the recovery process. Although they represent just 20 per cent of the materials used in making a car, in order to meet green targets, carmakers are increasingly looking to fibre-based plastics.
As fossil fuel resources are dwindling, the French car group has also laid out targets to boost recyclability of end-of-life vehicles. As a minimum, the group aims for an 85 per cent of a vehicles weight to be reused or recycled, while the a further 10 per cent will be used for energy recovery.
