Businesses in transport industries contribute to a high amount of automotive waste from metals and rubber tyres to fabrics and plastic trim pieces . While the industry is pretty good at reuse and remoulding parts for their vehicles , there is still a percentage of that waste left unaccounted for .

But , with resources depleting and the number of plastics and other waste items still extremely high , manufacturers have the ability to extract materials for use in their vehicles , and we ’ ve even seen companies like Mercedes-Benz working to adopt fungi-based leather products , which will minimise the need for real leather without losing out on quality .

Circular design isn ’ t just about reusing materials or repurposing parts , but is more a future-thinking way to eliminate waste and create the ideal scenario for every molecule consumed by man . Firstly , producing new components with recycled materials will put them back into the cycle , but in some cases with materials that are more difficult to reintegrate , the use of biodegradable ones can be applied so they won ’ t be left underground in 50 years ’ time .

So by incorporating plant-based or vegan products and materials into cars or innovating to produce zero-emission , degradable compounds , companies can create a holistically valuable electric vehicle with longevity .

12 [ Sept 2023 ] EVMAGAZINE . COM