Motherson and PureCycle Technologies have produced a Class-A surface automotive bumper prototype containing 30% PureFive recycled polypropylene, marking a significant step toward meeting tightening European recycled-content rules for vehicles.

 

The companies presented technical details at the Startup Autobahn Expo in Stuttgart on July 2, 2026—one of the automotive industry’s largest innovation platforms—where the collaboration will be showcased to global OEMs and sustainability stakeholders.

 

The prototype was manufactured at Motherson’s facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with feasibility evaluation and testing led by the company’s Global Innovation team in Germany. It has already undergone climate exposure trials and mechanical performance testing ahead of its formal presentation.

 

Fabian Wehrle, Global Innovation Exterior Engineer at Motherson, says: “This collaboration with PureCycle is an important step toward integrating recycled materials into applications that meet the high requirements of premium OEMs for Class-A surfaces. 

 

"We want to evaluate this through extensive testing to meet the expectations of our customers in the automotive industry and to comply with the requirements of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive.”

 

The development comes as the European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation accelerates pressure on automakers to integrate recycled plastics. 

 

Pending final adoption, new vehicles will be required to contain at least 15% recycled plastic content by 2032, including a minimum 3% from end-of-life vehicles, rising to 25% and 5% respectively by 2036. Exterior parts such as bumpers fall directly within the regulation’s scope.

 

PureCycle’s dissolution-based recycling process removes color, odor, and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene, producing PureFive resin designed to match virgin-grade material performance. The material is third-party certified for recycled content, supporting traceability requirements expected under future EU rules.

 

"This bumper represents exactly why there is such excitement around PureCycle and dissolution recycling,” said Nicolas Elwing, PureCycle’s Senior Director of Commercial in Europe. “For years, the automotive industry has been working to combine recycled materials with Class A quality. In collaboration with Motherson, there are now promising approaches to making this a reality.”

 

Elwing continued, “With EU ELVR mandates approaching and OEMs searching for qualified, traceable recycled material, PureFive is ready to be that solution. We look forward to sharing the news about this breakthrough at Startup Autobahn Expo.”

 

The partnership is positioned as a stepping stone toward scaling automotive-grade applications of recycled polypropylene, including potential mass production using PureFive and the long-term development of a closed-loop “bumper-to-bumper” recycling system.