With the launch of the latest model of Fiat Grande Panda, Fiat claims it has become the first car manufacturer to incorporate recycled materials from used beverage cartons in a vehicle.
Each Fiat Grande Panda contains recycled material from the thin layers of polyethylene and aluminium used in 140 beverage cartons. This recycled material is used in the central console, dashboard, interior front and rear door panels.
Tetra Pak’s PolyAl is a combination of polymers and aluminium components recovered during the recycling of beverage cartons. While the paperboard from beverage cartons can be transformed into consumer products such as tablecloths, napkins, and toilet paper, the company has been exploring commercial applications for the remaining PolyAl in collaboration with compound producers and recyclers.
The Fiat Grande Panda components are made using a PolyAl-based compound called Lapolen Ecotek, produced by Lapo Compound. Fiat says it was chosen for its shimmering effect, created by the aluminium content of the recycled material.
The company states the latest Fiat Grande Panda is already on the market in most European countries and will be available outside Europe by the end of the year.
In March, Tetra Pak and Schoeller Allibert unveiled a transport crate made of PolyAl from used beverage cartons, said to meet high industry standards for performance and durability and deliver a more ‘sustainable and cost-competitive’ alternative to conventional offerings. Once validated, Tetra Pak plans to gradually replace over 50,000 crates used at its global spare parts distribution centre in Lund, Sweden.
The following month, SIG partnered with social enterprise Plastic Bank, paper mill Carta Misr and TileGreen to establish Egypt’s ‘first end-to-end recycling system’ for used aseptic beverage cartons. The collaboration’s new system seeks to tackle every stage of the recycling process, with Carta Misr creating high-quality recycled paper products and TileGreen repurposing the PolyAl mix into durable interlock bricks.
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