Avient gears new R-polymers for auto sector

Avient Corp.,  a Cleveland-based polymers and plastics producer, has added two recycled-content thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) as part of its reSound REC product line.

The new grades for automotive interior applications are formulated with postconsumer recycled (PCR) content, meaning they offer “a more sustainable TPE option with comparable performance to traditional TPEs," the company says.

Avient developed the TPE grades in response to growing demand for improved sustainability in transportation and says the new reSound REC 7310 product series meets common automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fogging.

“These materials enable automotive OEMs and Tier 1s to satisfy performance needs and advance their sustainability goals,” says Matt Mitchell, a director of global marketing at Avient. “The use of recycled content also reduces carbon emissions, waste and pollution at the beginning of the product life cycle for added environmental benefits.”

The initial grades in the series are 80 and 90 Shore A durometers and contain 35 percent or 45 percent PCR content from recycled food packaging.

The grades also can be customized and injection molded or “overmolded” to polypropylene (PP), making them useful for a range of interior applications, according to Avient.

Potential interior vehicle applications include door mats and mat pockets, center console trays, front and rear trunk liners and components for instrument panels and dashboards.

The component applications available are colored black to provide consistent and comparable aesthetics to prime grades for OEM-specific shades of black, Avient says, while additional colors are also possible.

Avient's reSound REC 7310 product line is manufactured and available in North America.