16 Jan 2013
Renault Advances Global Leadership in Sustainability and Plastic Fenders with New SABIC Post-Industrial Recycled NORYL GTX™ Material
BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands, January 16, 2013 - Marking a new milestone in its distinguished 25-year relationship developing thermoplastic fenders with Renault S.A., SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business today announced that the French automaker has successfully adopted a new post-industrial recycled (PIR) grade of NORYL GTX™ resin as part of its ongoing drive to comply with the European Union’s end-of-life vehicle (ELV) requirements. The OEM adopted the new SABIC material for the fenders of its 2013 Clio IV and will expand the resin’s use to the upcoming ZOE electric vehicle. The PIR grade meets quality and performance standards and further enhances the sustainability benefits of NORYL GTX resin for automotive fenders, which include a weight reduction and up to 47 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions over the lifecycle of the fender compared to steel. Renault’s success with this new PIR NORYL GTX resin grade demonstrates SABIC’s ongoing commitment to improve its materials technologies to advance customers’ environmental goals and respond to changing regulations.
Renault started its ICARRE 95 project in 2010 to review technical solutions to meet the requirements in Directive 2000/53/EC on the elimination of end-of-life vehicles. ICARRE, which stands for Innovative CAR REcycling +95%, is targeting a 95 percent recovery rate for ELV materials. Use of the PIR NORYL GTX grade is an important step to help Renault advance toward this target.
“Renault’s vision and innovation have played a leading role in the mainstream adoption of plastic fenders to achieve key automotive industry goals of enhanced sustainability and design freedom,” said Leon Jacobs, Automotive leader, Europe, Innovative Plastics. “The company’s use of NORYL GTX resin over 25 years has conclusively demonstrated that lightweight thermoplastic body panels made from the product are a viable, proven, production-capable solution. Now, with next-generation SABIC materials that use recycled body panels, Renault can continue to raise the bar in automotive innovation.”
To support Renault in the development of the new PIR fenders, SABIC provided a wide range of technical services, including defining and validating the molding conditions, using predictive tools to optimize the fender design and processes, testing application requirements such as impact and dimensional stability, and supporting production processes including online painting and assembly.
Proud Heritage, Promising Future of Advancements in Plastic Fenders
Renault has designed more vehicles with fenders molded from NORYL GTX resin than any other automaker. Models include the Twingo, Clio, Kangoo, Scenic, Megane, Laguna, Espace, Wind and Modus. The automaker began development of plastic fenders in 1985 and launched its first in 1989 on the Clio 16S.
Building on its recent success with PIR material, Renault is collaborating with SABIC to develop a closed loop system in which the OEM will harvest the thermoplastic material of fenders from end-of-life vehicles for the production of fenders for new cars. The aim is for Renault to use a post-consumer recycled grade of NORYL GTX resin, a material already in the validation stage, for select vehicles.
NORYL GTX resins are conductive blends of polyamide (PA) and modified polyphenylene ether (PPE).
For additional information on SABIC’s resins for automotive applications, please go to www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.
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About SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 29.24 billion (US$ 7.80 billion) in 2011. Sales revenues for 2011 totaled SR 189.90 billion (US$ 50.64 billion). Total assets stood at SR 332.78 billion (US$ 88.74 billion) at the end of 2011.
SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 16 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India and South Korea. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees worldwide.
SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
About Innovative Plastics
SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with an 80-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).
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