New automotive plastic compounds containing up to 30% recycled material have been added to BASF’s Ultradur portfolio.
The Ultradur RC1 grades combine polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recovered from consumer packaging.
Glass fibres reinforce the compounds for use in components such as brackets, housings, connectors and other structural parts, according to a Sept. 30 announcement.
BASF officials say its engineers developed the grades to come as close as possible to the strength, stiffness, dimensional stability and processing characteristics of comparable plastics made from new raw materials. The recycled PET comes from packaging waste that is generally outside established bottle-to-bottle recycling streams.
“The automotive industry faces growing pressure to increase the use of recycled materials while continuing to meet the highest technical requirements,” said Patrick Wilke, segment manager, transportation, engineering plastics, at BASF.
The portfolio includes grades with different levels of glass-fibre reinforcement. BASF officials have not identified vehicle models or parts that will use the new materials. Manufacturers and suppliers will be able to examine application examples at Fakuma 2026 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. A webinar on the materials is scheduled for Nov. 19.
