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The Future of Automotive Recycling

What if your next car could be made from your last one? Experts explain how automotive recycling and remanufacturing are shaping the future of sustainable vehicle design.

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Sustainably Speaking hits the road at South by Southwest (SXSW) for an in-depth look at automotive recycling and the future of sustainable vehicle design. From bumpers to batteries, automakers are rethinking how to recycle vehicles at the end of their lives. They’re working with plastic makers and researchers to identify ways to recover and reuse more auto plastics.

On this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn sits down with Rich James of Dow and Gina Oliver from the American Chemistry Council to discuss how full-circle design and recycling technologies are transforming the auto industry.

The conversation covers innovative new materials such as recyclable seat cushions, next-gen textiles, and high-performance plastics engineered for reuse. As Gina and Rich explain, designing for circularity can position the U.S. as a leader in sustainable manufacturing—creating American jobs, improving efficiency, and steering the auto industry toward a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.

Highlights:

  • Plastics in Vehicles Enable Efficiency and Safety: Lightweight plastics can help improve fuel economy and extend vehicle range, while also playing a critical role in safety features like airbags and seatbelts.
  • Advancing a Circular Auto Supply Chain: Collaboration is key to improving the recovery, reuse, and recycling of plastics in vehicles, allowing valuable materials to stay in the supply chain rather than end up in landfills.
  • Innovating for Recyclability: New designs, such as fully recyclable car seats and components made from a single material, are being developed to make automotive plastics easier to recycle.

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Guest Bios

  • Rich James, Global Marketing Director: Sustainability & Specialty Plastics at Dow

    Rich James is the Global Marketing Director for Dow’s MobilityScience Sustainability platform and Specialty Plastics business unit. Sustainability and Automotive are the two constant threads through Rich’s career. Rich joined Dow after leading the design and construction of ADM’s first domestic biodiesel plant. Over the next two decades with Dow, Rich has had leadership roles in airbag and elastomer production; solar panel efficiency improvements, and now is pioneering sustainable automotive seating and vehicle light-weighting through effective use of plastic. In Rich’s current role he brings his experience and expertise across Dow’s chemistry sets to drive the needed change for global automotive brands achieve their circular and carbon reduction goals.

  • Mia Quinn, Senior Director, Public Affairs at American Chemistry Council

    Mia Quinn leads efforts to communicate the plastics industry’s major sustainability initiatives. She works to bring together experts to share insights in key areas of sustainability, including public policy, product design, recycling, and infrastructure.

    She is passionate about collaboration, clear communication, and engaging audiences to learn more about innovation and modern solutions for our communities and our country. Mia has a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis. She grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado and is a lifelong Denver Broncos fan. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two sons.

  • Gina Oliver, Senior Director, Automotive, American Chemistry Council

    Gina Oliver is the Senior Director for the American Chemistry Council’s Durable Markets Advocacy Team. She has 25 years of experience in strategic business planning, advocacy, project management and leadership. Gina has a background in regulatory and product support within the global industry sector as well as trade association leadership and management, public policy and advocacy strategy development and implementation.

    Gina holds a master’s in business administration and is a passionate advocate for innovative and sustainable plastic and polymer solutions that solve some of society’s biggest challenges. Under Gina’s guidance, ACC is known as the primary, collective voice for the plastics in durable markets industry working together to provide sustainable, innovative material solutions that enable transformational societal benefits.

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