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EcoPlast: Empowering Circular Operations in the Automotive Plastics Value Chain is a three-year, €7.5 million Horizon Europe-funded project, carried out by a consortium of 14 European partners, with DigiProd Pass Ltd (DPPL) playing a key role.
The EcoPlast project was officially launched at the Hyatt Regency in Manchester, UK, on 24–25 June 2025.
The two-day consortium meeting convened leading industry stakeholders and research institutions from across Europe. Supported by the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, EcoPlast unites prominent automotive manufacturers, researchers, and circular economy innovators to address one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: plastic waste. During the meeting, Ms Stefania Rocca, EU Project Officer at the European Research Executive Agency (REA), addressed the consortium, highlighting the project’s pivotal role in advancing Europe’s green and digital transition.
EcoPlast is poised to revolutionise the automotive plastics value chain by integrating digital tools and circular economy principles. This transformation is made possible through the support of key partners, including industry leaders like Ford Otosan and Centro Ricerche Fiat, the specialized firm DigiProd Pass Ltd, and several prominent universities.
Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. Modern vehicles contain approximately 150–200 kg of plastic, accounting for up to 20% of their total weight. Much of this material is composed of non-recyclable polymers, making recovery at the end of a vehicle’s life particularly difficult. With global car ownership projected to exceed 2 billion by 2030, unmanaged plastic waste poses a significant risk to climate targets and the objectives of the European Green Deal.
To address this, the project will develop a secure digital platform designed to increase the use of secondary materials, ensure non-toxicity, and enhance both recyclability and traceability. Key components of the platform include:
These innovations will be tested and validated through nine industrial use cases, demonstrating how recycled plastics, bio-composites, and bio-based alternatives can be integrated effectively into real-world automotive manufacturing.
EcoPlast will demonstrate nine industrial use cases across real-world automotive plastic applications. The project consortium includes leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), material suppliers, academic institutions, and circular economy specialists from the UK, Türkiye, and Italy.
The EcoPlast Consortium includes the following members:
Technovative Solutions LTD (TVS) | Ford Otosan | Centro Ricerche Fiat | Stryker Design Ltd | Assan Hanil | Adler Pelzer Group | eurotec® Engineering Plastics | Proplast | Beker Recycle Waste Management & Vehicle Recycling | Autodemolizione Pollini | Sabanci University | Brunel University of London | Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd | İstanbul Üniversitesi (Istanbul University) | SIMULARGE Global | Mercedes Benz Turk | Kordsa | DigiProd Pass Ltd.
As a traceability and DPP solution provider, DPPL will identify the data attributes and develop a blockchain-enabled DPP framework in this project. Besides, DPPL will also develop the methodology to define recycled content in automotive plastic parts. Also, to demonstrate circularity, DPPL will develop a circularity index (CI) calculator for the plastic materials.
As the EU introduces new regulatory frameworks, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), aimed at promoting more sustainable and transparent product value chains, projects like EcoPlast are at the forefront of innovation and cross-sector collaboration. Beyond reducing plastic waste, EcoPlast seeks to fundamentally rethink how materials are designed, utilised, and reintegrated within the automotive industry.
While the path to sustainable mobility is extensive, projects such as EcoPlast have successfully initiated this progress.
EcoPlast is funded by the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) under Grant Agreement No 101182147.
