Cupra and SEAT have opened a new vehicle recycling and reclamation centre in the Zona Franca in Barcelona, creating a circular economy hub.
What's the plan for this new facility?
Basically, the new circular economy hub is there to pull apart Cupras and SEATs, which have reached the end of their lives, and recycle and reuse as many of their parts and components as possible. Cupra and SEAT say they've invested €4.85 million into this project, as well as receiving €1.32 million in funds from PERTE of the Circular Economy programme, an official Spanish government recycling and reuse project.
Will these old parts be used again?
Yes, that's the whole idea. SEAT and Cupra's models are designed to use both content that's already made from recycled materials - such as Seaqual fabric, made from recovered ocean plastics, and Dinamica microfibre, produced with 73 per cent recycled polyester through a water-based process. Of course, many of the metal and plastic parts from a car can also be recycled or reused, while electric car batteries can be almost endlessly recycled into new ones.
Parts taken from these cars can be reused in new vehicles, recycled or refurbished for resale through external partners and SEAT and Cupra are planning yet more 'circular economy' initiatives.
Why go to all the trouble?
Cupra and SEAT are going to the trouble because it cuts their carbon footprints. By 2025, the company aims to cut waste sent to management facilities during production processes by 60 per cent compared to 2010, as a step toward achieving zero waste by 2050, in line with the Volkswagen Group's 'Reduce & Grow' Circular Economy Strategy. The reuse of materials and the greater use of recycled products have helped Cupra and Seat to cut CO2 emissions by 75 per cent since 2010. The plan is to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2040 at the company's factories, and to be a fully-carbon-neutral company by 2050.
"Decarbonisation and the reduction of raw material use are two of the biggest challenges for the automotive industry. At Seat & Cupra, we want to lead the way, considering the entire value chain,” said Markus Haupt, CEO of SEAT and Cupra. "Our new Circular Economy Hub will bring us closer to this goal by recovering various materials and vehicle components to give them a second life.”