The partners intend to develop activities that will provide access to material flows that would otherwise be exported to other sectors and countries. The aim is to avoid so-called downcycling, whereby recycled materials are subject to a loss of quality.
One current example is a planned cooperation with TSR and another tier-1 supplier for recycled aluminium. This first-of-a-kind material has an 86-percent content of post-consumer recycled aluminium and reduces CO₂ emissions by 73 percent. First press tests for prototype parts have been successful. Evaluation is ongoing and Mercedes-Benz looks forward to putting this into series production as soon as possible.
By working directly with partners, the company is pursuing its responsibility to actively drive the expansion of the circular economy in the future. Such initiatives are central to achieving Ambition 2039, which aims to make the fleet of new passenger cars net carbon-neutral over the vehicles’ entire lifecycle by 2039.