PureCycle Technologies Inc., a U.S.-based company revolutionizing plastic recycling, and the Modules & Polymer Products Division of Motherson announced the successful production of a Class-A surface automotive bumper prototype incorporating 30 percent PureFive® recycled polypropylene (PP).
The bumper prototype was produced at Motherson’s facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with feasibility assessment and testing led by the Global Innovation Team in Germany. The component has since undergone rigorous performance tests, including climate testing and mechanical properties evaluation.
The timing of this achievement is critical. The European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulation is creating binding requirements for automakers and their supply chains. By 2032, pending final adoption, new vehicles must contain at least 15 percent recycled plastic content, with a minimum of 3 percent sourced from end-of-life vehicles. By 2036, those thresholds increase to 25 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Exterior components such as bumpers are directly within scope.
PureCycle’s patented dissolution recycling process removes color, odor and contaminants from post-consumer polypropylene, producing PureFive resin with properties similar to virgin material. PureFive is third-party certified for recycled content, providing the traceability and documentation that OEMs and regulators will require for mandate compliance.
For automakers and Tier 1 suppliers targeting the European market, the Motherson/PureCycle bumper prototype provides a scalable blueprint for 2032 compliance. PureCycle is further expanding its production footprint to serve European customers directly, with a new dissolution recycling facility under development at the port of Antwerp in Belgium, expected to be operational in 2029.
The collaboration between Motherson and PureCycle lays the foundation for continued work on automotive grade material specifications, evaluating mass production with PureFive and advancing the long term goal of a closed loop recycling system “from bumper to bumper.” Future development goals also include increasing the recycled content to over 30 percent and expanding into additional PP applications for exterior and interior applications.
PureCycle is building a new dissolution recycling facility in Rayong, Thailand. Both facilities are expected to be operational before 2030, expanding PureCycle’s global capacity.
Published August 2026
