Mercedes-Benz has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TSR Recycling GmbH KG to spearhead enhancements in its circularity strategy through ‘urban mining.’ This partnership focuses on extracting and reutilizing materials from vehicles at the end of their life cycle, paving the way for more sustainable manufacturing practices.
This collaboration will explore the recovery and commercial viability of secondary materials like steel, aluminium, polymers, copper, and glass from decommissioned vehicles across Europe. The initiative seeks to deepen the understanding of post-consumer material utility and foster a robust closed-loop recycling system.
Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, emphasized the importance of their ‘Design for Circularity’ approach. “We expect this to reduce our use of primary resources in our new vehicle fleet by 40 percent by 2030 compared to a conventional approach. Together with our partners, we are working to increase the share of secondary raw materials in our vehicles and further improve process efficiency. We see great potential in urban mining as a cost-effective way to conserve valuable resources through the circular economy.”
This approach aims to counter the quality degradation seen in conventional recycling, where materials diminish in value, a process known as downcycling. A key initiative under this new partnership is the creation of a recycled aluminium with 86-percent post-consumer content, which not only retains high quality but also reduces CO₂ emissions by 73 percent. Promising results from initial tests on prototype parts suggest readiness for this material’s integration into full-scale production.
Mercedes-Benz’s initiative with TSR Recycling marks a pivotal advancement toward achieving the company’s Ambition 2039, which envisions a net carbon-neutral fleet of new passenger cars by that year. By championing such forward-thinking practices, Mercedes-Benz demonstrates its commitment to minimizing environmental impact and leading sustainable industrial innovation.
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