Dow and Gruppo Fiori develop breakthrough recycling process for automotive polyurethane waste
Dow (NYSE:DOW) and Gruppo Fiori have developed a groundbreaking process for recycling polyurethane foam from end-of-life vehicles without requiring disassembly. The innovation addresses a significant sustainability challenge, as a typical car contains about 28 kg of polyurethane, with 10-15 kg in seats alone.
The breakthrough process enables the recovery of pure polyurethane waste suitable for depolymerization (chemical recycling), creating a pathway toward closed-loop circularity in the automotive industry. This development builds on the companies' 2024 memorandum of understanding and aims to help OEMs meet sustainability goals and upcoming mandatory recycled content requirements from End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR).
Dow (NYSE:DOW) e il Gruppo Fiori hanno messo a punto un processo innovativo per riciclare la schiuma di poliuretano proveniente da veicoli a fine vita senza dover smontare i veicoli. La soluzione risponde a una sfida importante in termini di sostenibilità: un’automobile contiene in media circa 28 kg di poliuretano, di cui 10-15 kg solo nei sedili.
Il nuovo processo permette di ottenere rifiuti di poliuretano puri, idonei alla depolimerizzazione (riciclo chimico), aprendo la strada a un modello di economia circolare chiuso per il settore automobilistico. Questa innovazione si basa sul memorandum d’intesa del 2024 tra le due aziende e punta ad aiutare i costruttori a rispettare gli obiettivi di sostenibilità e i prossimi requisiti obbligatori di contenuto riciclato previsti dalla End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR).
Dow (NYSE:DOW) y Gruppo Fiori han desarrollado un proceso innovador para reciclar la espuma de poliuretano procedente de vehículos al final de su vida útil sin necesidad de desmontarlos. La solución afronta un reto significativo de sostenibilidad: un coche típico contiene alrededor de 28 kg de poliuretano, de los cuales 10-15 kg están solo en los asientos.
El proceso permite recuperar residuo de poliuretano puro, apto para la despolimerización (reciclaje químico), creando una vía hacia la circularidad de ciclo cerrado en la industria automotriz. Este avance se basa en el memorando de entendimiento de 2024 entre las empresas y pretende ayudar a los fabricantes a cumplir sus metas de sostenibilidad y los próximos requisitos obligatorios de contenido reciclado de la End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR).
Dow (NYSE:DOW)와 Gruppo Fiori는 해체 없이 폐자동차에서 폴리우레탄 폼을 재활용할 수 있는 획기적인 공정을 개발했습니다. 이 혁신은 중대한 지속가능성 문제를 해결합니다. 일반 자동차에는 약 28kg의 폴리우레탄이 포함되어 있으며, 그중 10–15kg은 좌석에만 들어 있습니다.
이번 공정은 화학적 재활용(탈중합)에 적합한 순수한 폴리우레탄 폐기물을 회수할 수 있게 해 자동차 산업의 폐쇄형 순환경제로 나아가는 길을 열어줍니다. 이 개발은 양사가 2024년에 체결한 양해각서를 바탕으로 하며, 완성차 제조업체들이 지속가능성 목표와 향후 ELVR(End of Life Vehicle Regulation)의 의무적 재생원료 함유 요건을 충족하도록 돕는 것을 목표로 합니다.
Dow (NYSE:DOW) et le Gruppo Fiori ont mis au point un procédé révolutionnaire pour recycler la mousse de polyuréthane provenant de véhicules en fin de vie sans nécessiter de démontage. Cette innovation répond à un enjeu majeur de durabilité : une voiture typique contient environ 28 kg de polyuréthane, dont 10 à 15 kg rien que dans les sièges.
Le procédé permet de récupérer des déchets de polyuréthane purs, adaptés à la dépolymérisation (recyclage chimique), ouvrant ainsi la voie à une circularité en boucle fermée dans l’industrie automobile. Ce développement s’appuie sur le protocole d’accord de 2024 entre les deux entreprises et vise à aider les constructeurs à atteindre leurs objectifs de durabilité et à se conformer aux prochaines exigences obligatoires de contenu recyclé prévues par la End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR).
Dow (NYSE:DOW) und die Gruppo Fiori haben ein bahnbrechendes Verfahren zur Wiederverwertung von Polyurethanschaum aus Fahrzeugen am Ende ihrer Lebensdauer entwickelt, das kein Zerlegen der Fahrzeuge erfordert. Die Innovation begegnet einer erheblichen Nachhaltigkeitsherausforderung: Ein typisches Auto enthält etwa 28 kg Polyurethan, davon 10–15 kg allein in den Sitzen.
Das Verfahren ermöglicht die Gewinnung von reinem Polyurethanabfall, der sich zur Depolymerisation (chemisches Recycling) eignet, und schafft so einen Weg zu geschlossener Kreislaufwirtschaft in der Automobilindustrie. Diese Entwicklung baut auf dem Memorandum of Understanding von 2024 zwischen den Unternehmen auf und soll OEMs dabei unterstützen, Nachhaltigkeitsziele sowie die kommenden verpflichtenden Anforderungen an recycelte Inhaltsstoffe der End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR) zu erfüllen.
- Development of innovative recycling process that eliminates costly vehicle disassembly requirements
- Creation of new revenue stream from previously wasted materials
- Positions Dow to help automotive manufacturers meet upcoming mandatory recycled content regulations
- Enables industrial-scale recycling and reuse of polyurethane in mobility applications
- Technology still in development phase, not yet at industrial implementation stage
Insights
Dow's breakthrough in automotive PU recycling enables closed-loop processing without disassembly, addressing upcoming regulatory requirements while creating recycled material opportunities.
This collaboration between Dow and Gruppo Fiori tackles a significant sustainability challenge in the automotive sector by developing a novel process that eliminates the need to disassemble vehicles to recover polyurethane foam. The innovation allows for approximately 10-15kg of PU foam from car seats (out of ~28kg total per vehicle) to be recovered and chemically recycled through depolymerization.
The technical breakthrough addresses three critical industry pain points: cost barriers from manual disassembly, waste diversion from landfills, and upcoming regulatory pressures. The process specifically enables creation of recycled-content polyols that will help automotive manufacturers meet the End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR) requirements that mandate specific recycled content percentages.
What makes this development particularly significant is its industrial scalability potential. Traditional automotive recycling has struggled with polyurethane components due to contamination and separation challenges. By simplifying recovery while maintaining sufficient purity for chemical recycling, Dow has created a practical pathway for circular polyurethane materials through their Renuva™ portfolio.
This represents meaningful progress in closing a stubborn materials loop in automotive supply chains. The approach aligns with broader industry trends toward materials decarbonization, where chemical recycling technologies are enabling previously non-recyclable streams to reenter manufacturing cycles with properties comparable to virgin materials. For automotive manufacturers facing increasingly stringent sustainability requirements, this offers a practical solution for hard-to-recycle foam components while potentially creating new value streams in what was previously considered waste material.
Collaboration delivers novel process to recover polyurethane foam from end-of-life vehicles, driving critical progress toward closed-loop circularity for the automotive industry
MIDLAND, Mich., Sept. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dow (NYSE: DOW), in partnership with Gruppo Fiori, today announced the latest advancements in a jointly-developed, novel process that enables recovery of polyurethane waste from end-of-life vehicles without disassembly. This innovation combines Dow’s expertise in materials science and Gruppo Fiori’s established automotive recycling ecosystem to create a new pathway for end-of-life vehicle materials.
A Breakthrough in Polyurethane Foam Recycling
Valued for comfort, safety and fuel-efficiency, polyurethane foam is an essential part of automotive interiors. A typical car contains about 28 kg of PU, 10-15 kg of which is in seats – an amount of material with potential for significant sustainability impact. Traditional recycling of vehicles, however, requires disassembly of automotive components, creating cost and complexity for recyclers.
Dow and Gruppo Fiori’s innovation eliminates this step, producing a simplified recovery for PU waste stream with the purity needed to enable depolymerization (chemical recycling). This innovation drives toward a circular automotive supply chain by:
- Obtaining a polyurethane waste stream suitable for depolymerization from end-of-life vehicles without disassembly;
- Keeping valuable polyurethane foam out of landfills and reintegrating it into productive use;
- Enabling industrial-scale recycling and reuse of polyurethane in mobility application;
- Facilitating the creation of polyol with recycled content;
- Helping enable compliance with upcoming mandatory recycled content requirements from End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR), as well as OEM’s sustainability goals.
Advancing Automotive Circularity
“Collaboration is essential to building a closed-loop supply chain for the automotive industry,” said Dr. Esther Quintanilla, global MobilityScience™ marketing director, Dow Polyurethanes. “By partnering with Gruppo Fiori, we aim to help OEMs and component manufacturers meet their sustainability goals and regulatory requirements for recycled content without sacrificing the performance benefits of polyurethanes.”
This program with Gruppo Fiori can enable Dow’s Renuva™ portfolio of recycled materials, which exists to accelerate the transformation of waste streams into new raw materials through mechanical and chemical recycling.
“Advancing circular ecosystems means bringing every member of the automotive value chain to the design table to solve recyclability challenges,” said Mauro Grotto, president of Italmetalli, a Gruppo Fiori company. “By augmenting our expertise in recovering and sorting materials from end-of-life vehicles with Dow’s depolymerization capabilities, we can restore the value of waste and share that value with the industry.”
From MoU to Market Readiness
This milestone builds on the 2024 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Dow and Gruppo Fiori to create a new ecosystem for recycling EOL vehicle parts and materials. The companies’ partnership analyzed dismantling processes, assessed the purity and recyclability of recovered materials and are piloting innovative business models through an accelerated “test-and-learn” approach. These latest technical breakthroughs signify significant progress in a short timeframe to provide positive momentum for future industrial implementation.
With world-class technical capabilities and a diverse portfolio of materials science options, Dow MobilityScience™ pioneers innovation that drives global progress. From addressing challenges like decarbonization to enhancing EV performance, Dow remains at the forefront of advancing mobility. For further details, please visit the MobilityScience™ website.
To learn more about the Dow-Gruppo Fiori collaboration, visit Depolymerization | Polyurethane Chemical Recycling.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 30 countries and employ approximately 36,000 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately
About Gruppo Fiori
Gruppo Fiori has been operating for around 70 years and today represents one of the main Italian companies in the ferrous and non-ferrous scrap recycling sector. Always looking for technologically advanced solutions, it combines goals often seen as diverging: economic development and environmental protection. As a natural evolution of this responsible approach and constant commitment to continuous improvement, the Gruppo Fiori has decided to adhere to the EMAS Regulation for both the Crespellano-Bologna (Italmetalli) and Rome (Italferro) plants. In addition to the 2 ELVs shredding mills, the Group operates several lines dedicated to other non-ferrous metal waste and it deploys various technologies to close the end-of-life cycle for cars. The Group has a turnover of 450 million euros and approximately 200 employees.
For further information, please contact:
Kimberly Olson
989.495.8253
kolson1@dow.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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