From the Sector

Autoneum has supported Renault Group in the development of Renault Emblème, a low-carbon demonstration car designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent over its entire life cycle. As a key partner of the project, Autoneum further optimized the environmental performance of its sustainable Pure technologies, which were used for numerous components in the vehicle interior and exterior. Leveraging its proven expertise in the development of lightweight and fully recyclable monomaterials with a high recycled content, as well as in the areas of life cycle analysis (LCA) and product innovation, Autoneum was able to reduce the carbon footprint of its parts and contribute to a significant reduction in vehicle weight for Renault Emblème.

Increasingly stringent regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale, new directives and the electrification of mobility require innovative approaches from the entire automotive industry. To support vehicle manufacturers in achieving their sustainability targets, Autoneum continuously optimizes the environmental performance of its products and processes: from further increasing the share of recycled content and the end-of-life recyclability of its lightweight technologies to reducing waste and shifting to renewable energy in its production facilities. In addition, the Company is working closely with customers and partners to validate data and products together. One of the most recent examples of such a successful collaboration is Autoneum’s contribution to Renault Emblème.

The Renault Emblème demonstration car emits 90% fewer greenhouse gases over its entire life cycle than a comparable vehicle produced today. To achieve these ambitious decarbonization targets, Renault Group assembled more than twenty suppliers from across the industry to participate in specialized projects in five different areas: eco-design, raw material selection, manufacturing, use and end of life. In addition to providing valuable expertise in the areas of LCA and product development, Autoneum’s contribution entailed the further optimization of its environmentally friendly Pure technologies, which already today are characterized by an excellent sustainability performance across the product life cycle and also include the Company’s growing portfolio of monomaterial technologies made of 100 percent polyester.

Autoneum’s innovative and lightweight materials were used for around thirty fiber-based components in the interior and exterior of Renault Emblème, including the carpet, the underbody panels and wheelhouse outer liners as well the front and rear trunk. Thanks to the high recycled content, the waste-free production process and the excellent recyclability of the materials at the end of their service life, Autoneum was able to reduce drastically the carbon footprint of the components. This outstanding achievement was made possible by further boosting the sustainability performance of existing technologies such as Ultra-Silent, Propylat PET, Hybrid-Acoustics and Autoneum’s monomaterial polyester carpet systems. In addition, the parts contributed to a weight reduction, which positively affected both the carbon footprint and the range of the electric car.

From leaders to entrepreneurs, JEC COMPOSITES CONNECT is welcoming a lineup of special guests. As part of conferences, they will share their expertise, vision, and perspective in front of all the players in the composites industry.

AEROSPACE – Towards a More Sustainable Strategy, Tuesday, June 1st –  9am to 10:15am (CEST)
The aerospace industry is a major source of innovation and technological advancements that often originates inspiration across a wide variety of other industries. Nowadays, in a context where environmental constraints are becoming increasingly stringent especially when it comes to air mobility, OEMs are constantly in search of innovative answers and solutions that will allow them to create a ‘greener’ future. The need for light-weighting, reduced maintenance and waste, and repurposing aerospace-grade CFRP towards other applications are expected to drive demand and adoption of composites in aerospace applications.

Yannick Willemin, Head of Marketing & Business Development, 9TLabs, will chair this conference with Clémentine Gallet, CEO, Coriolis, Hervé Gilibert,CTO, ArianeGroup, Jean Botti, CEO, Voltaero and Scott Finn, Chief Consulting Engineer for Composites, GE Aviation.

AUTOMOTIVE – The Right Material at the Right Place, Tuesday, June 1st –  3 pm to 5:05 pm (CEST)
Among the many challenges facing the automotive industry, reducing vehicle mass and therefore emissions all while maintaining safety and cost-efficiency remain key. Lighter materials implying higher costs, they limit mass production. Therefore, a combination of materials, albeit hybrid solutions, would help solve this issue and are becoming increasingly attractive for manufacturers. This conference consists of industry presentations and a panel discussion involving major OEMs & Tier1s from all over the world. It covers the challenges & opportunities of using composites materials in the Automotive field.

Dale Brosius CFO, IACMI, will chair this conference with Alice Swallow, Senior Innovation Engineer, FORD MOTOR GROUP, Christophe Kühn, Senior Project Manager – Composites & Hybrid Components, VOLKSWAGEN, Dominik Klaiber, Doctoral Candidate Body Advanced Engineering, PORSCHE and Gerard LIRAUT, Expert Leader Polymers, GROUPE RENAULT – ALLIANCE RENAULT NISSAN MITSUBISHI.