Auto sector is meeting recycling challenge

Thanks in large part to its automotive industry, Michigan has a longstanding tradition of innovation and working to meet anticipated challenges and consumer trends.

A major challenge of continued concern for consumers and businesses alike is how to tackle plastic waste. However, it is a challenge in which the industry has invested significant resources to help protect the environment and better align with societal expectations.

One way to address plastic waste is through adopting advanced recycling technologies. This allows businesses to convert used, discarded plastic into raw materials for making new products. For instance, a drycleaning bag someone uses today could be a door panel for a new vehicle tomorrow.

General Motors has been doing this for years, recycling water bottles into parts for its Chevy Equinox. And this advanced recycling trend has expanded to include auto suppliers. This process not only reduces the impact on the environment, but it also generates cost savings which allow businesses to invest more resources into clean technology.

As a turnaround consultant who has worked with the auto industry for more than 25 years, I have seen firsthand the opportunities suppliers have in reducing their costs while increasing revenue. Advanced recycling has proven to be a “game changer” which accomplishes these two key objectives while at the same time promoting environmental sustainability through reducing plastic waste.

For more than a century, Michigan’s auto sector has proven it can adapt to change while constantly innovating to meet changing consumer demands and expectations.

Thanks to innovative technologies of today such as advanced recycling, we can achieve more circularity that will benefit businesses, consumers and the environment for the long-term. Alex Calderone

Birmingham