The grant to Auria has been awarded within the framework of the aid programme for the implementation of innovative eco-design and circular economy projects in Basque industry that is financed by European Regional Development Funds.

Auria Solutions Vitoria is what is known in the sector as a TIER 1 automotive components company. The main products it manufactures are flooring (front and rear) and side panels for vehicles. These products are made from several layers of different plastics which are difficult to separate from each other and therefore hard to recycle. However, in the manufacturing process of both products, large-sized offcuts are discarded which, due to the lack of adequate recycling processes, end up in landfill. In normal production conditions, scrap offcuts can amount to as much as 3,000 tonnes/year.

The project, started by AURIA last February and given the name ProTIER, will seek innovative solutions during 2020 that allow the optimising of material resources and avoid the dumping of reusable materials in landfill, and will have the collaboration of the Technology Centre GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), and the environmental consulting and advisory company ZICLA.

The implementation of the ProTIER project will have several objectives. The first will be to recover at least 1,000 tonnes/year of material that will be incorporated into the new floors and panels produced by AURIA. In order to achieve this, the separation of materials will be optimised for their final use in the plant itself, based on the grinding and separation process currently under development at AURIA, using the material obtained from its supplier companies.
In addition, applications for the offcuts will be sought in other high value sectors, such as furniture, prioritising reuse over mechanical recycling.