TOKYO/NAGOYA, Japan/NEW YORK — Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are among Japanese automakers building supply chains for recycled plastics, Nikkei has learned, to make their vehicles greener and meet expected new European regulations.
Plastic is a basic material in automotive manufacturing, used for bumpers, interior components and other parts. According to the European Commission proposal from 2023, at least 25% of the plastics in a new vehicle would have to be recycled. This regulation would come into force as early as 2031, raising the specter of new non-compliant vehicles being banned from sale in the European Union.
