DSM Recycled PA6 Material Wins SPE Innovation Award

DSM Engineered Materials said that Ford Motor Company, HellermannTyton and DSM received an Innovation Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for the use of Akulon RePurposed recycled marine plastic in the Ford Bronco Sport model
.

This application is also considered by Ford as one of many potential uses for recycled ocean plastics on major vehicle platforms
.

Ford uses harness clips made from ocean-sourced plastic in the Bronco Sport model
.
Invisible to occupants of the car, these wire harness clips are attached to the sides of the Bronco Sport's second-row seats and guide wires that power various functions in the vehicle's cargo area
.
Ford's tests have shown that the Akulon RePurposed material is just as strong and durable as the petroleum-based clips, despite spending time in salt water and sunlight
.

Akulon RePurposed material is made from nylon fishing nets collected from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea
.
The nets are thoroughly cleaned and processed using a proprietary process to create a robust polyamide 6 (PA6) engineered material that rivals the performance of new petroleum-based plastics
.
Every year, approximately 13 million tons of plastic waste end up in the world's oceans
.

Much of the trash ends up in the Great Pacific Garbage Dump, which is twice the size of Texas and three times the size of France
.
Abandoned fishing nets are a growing part of the problem, with the World Wildlife Federation estimating that they make up as much as 46 percent of the garbage in the Great Pacific dump
.
DSM introduced the Akulon RePurposed PA6 in 2018 to help meet this challenge
.

Jim Buczkowski, Ford Technical Fellow, said: "This is another example of Ford leading sustainability
.
It's a powerful example of a circular economy, and while these clips are small, they're an ocean of us exploring the use of recycling in the future.
A vital first step for plastics
.
”

Lydia Swan, Commercial Director, Americas, DSM Engineered Materials, said: “Solving the global challenge of ocean plastics will require our entire effort to find innovative solutions to develop a circular economy
.
We are very proud of our efforts to make this innovative use of recycled ocean plastic possible, and we look forward to finding more opportunities to reduce ocean plastic waste
.
"

Today, the material is used in a wide variety of applications including furniture, watches and surfboards
.
Many other applications are currently under development as more and more customers seek to partner with DSM to meet the challenge of reducing marine plastic litter
.