Recycled vs. Bioplastics: Which is the Future of Sustainable Cars?
The automotive industry faces increasing pressure to improve sustainability, with material choice at the forefront of this transformation. With over 14 million tonnes of plastics used in passenger vehicles each year, addressing the sustainability of these materials is critical. Two leading solutions are recycled plastics and bioplastics. But what is the future of sustainable cars?
Author: James Kennedy, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx
IDTechEx has recently published a market research report covering the sustainable automotive plastics market. In "Sustainable Plastics for Automotive 2025-2035: Market, Players, and Forecasts," IDTechEx explores the adoption of recycled plastics, bioplastics, sustainable composites, sustainable upholstery, sustainable tires, and end-of-life solutions for automotive polymers.
The challenges of sustainable automotive polymers
Automotive plastics face significant sustainability challenges, primarily in two areas: material sourcing and end-of-life processing. Most plastics used in vehicles today are derived from petrochemical feedstocks, resulting in high embodied carbon emissions and reliance on fluctuating fossil fuel markets. New regulatory pressures, including recycled content mandates and carbon taxes, push automakers toward sustainable alternatives. Recycled plastics and bioplastics are the two main alternatives, each with unique advantages and challenges. However, the widespread adoption of these materials depends on factors such as material availability, cost, and technical feasibility. For certain applications, integrating recycled plastics is relatively straightforward. For example, mono-material polypropylene interior components are already manufactured with recycled content. However, more specialized components from complex polymer blends and composites present greater challenges, particularly concerning end-of-life disposal and circularity.
Recycled plastics: A key driver of sustainable content
Mechanically recycled plastics are the most widely available and the easiest to integrate into automotive manufacturing. These materials are produced by shredding, melting, and reforming waste plastics without altering their chemical structure. Regulatory mandates, such as the EU’s requirement for 25% recycled content in vehicles, are expected to drive significant market growth. Chemical recycling is another emerging solution that breaks down plastics into monomers or raw feedstocks, allowing for the restoration of material properties. However, chemical recycling remains in its early stages, with higher costs and infrastructure limitations slowing widespread adoption.
Bioplastics: The potential for bio-based sustainability
Bioplastics, derived from renewable biomass sources, offer another route to reducing dependence on fossil-based plastics. While promising, the bioplastics market is still nascent, with supply chain limitations and higher costs restricting adoption. The feasibility of integrating bioplastics into automotive manufacturing depends on the development of bio-based alternatives for key polymers, such as bio-polypropylene and bio-polyamide. While some automakers already incorporate bio-based materials into interior components and upholstery, scaling these solutions remains challenging.
Recycled materials will be the dominant sustainable material of choice
While recycled plastics and bioplastics will play important roles in the shift toward sustainable automotive manufacturing, recycled materials are expected to be the dominant choice. The widespread availability of recycled plastics, regulatory mandates, and existing recycling infrastructure make them the most viable solution for automakers looking to reduce their environmental impact. Additionally, advances in mechanical and chemical recycling technologies continue to improve the quality and applicability of recycled materials across various automotive components. Given the industry's immediate need to meet sustainability targets, recycled plastics will likely see broader adoption in the short and medium term than bioplastics.
Both recycled plastics and bioplastics are expected to experience strong growth in the coming decade. IDTechEx forecasts a 29.1% CAGR for recycled plastic content and a 25.1% CAGR for bioplastics in automotive applications between 2025 and 2035. However, despite this growth, sustainable plastics are projected to account for only 18% of total automotive plastics by 2035 – falling short of many automakers’ ambitious sustainability goals.
Significant industry-wide action will be needed to accelerate the transition to sustainable plastics. Collaboration across the supply chain, investment in material innovation, and regulatory support will be critical to meeting sustainability targets.
IDTechEx market insights on sustainable automotive plastics
IDTechEx’s latest report, "Sustainable Plastics for Automotive 2025-2035: Market, Players and Forecasts," provides an in-depth analysis of sustainable plastic adoption in passenger vehicles. The report explores the entire circular economy of automotive polymers, including mechanically and chemically recycled plastics, bioplastics, bio-composites, sustainable upholstery materials, and sustainable tire innovations.
The report includes detailed insights on technologies, material trends, key market players, adoption strategies, industry partnerships, and segmented forecasts by polymer type for both recycled and bio-based plastics.
For more information on this report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/SustainablePlastics.
For the full portfolio of sustainability research available from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/Sustainability .