Past opportunity

Sustainable Polymers with Autoliv

Bio-based polymers
Polymer recycling

Industry

Automotive safety

Revenue

2022

€8.7B

Employees

2022

67,000

Countries

2022

27+

About

Autoliv is the world's leading manufacturer of automotive protective systems for all major automotive OEMs. We use various polymers in automotive safety applications such as airbags, steering wheels, and seats. As the ecological footprint becomes increasingly important for the automotive industry, our aim is to find alternatives to the currently used polymers, rubber, and related glass fiber fillers with reduced GHG emission intensity.

Opportunity overview

Autoliv consumes more than 70 kton of polymers per year, excluding textiles. To reach our own 2040 emission targets and fulfill the increasing need from our customers, we currently need to offset the emissions associated with our polymer use. With this opportunity, our vision is to develop a new, more sustainable generation of safety products such as airbags, steering wheels, and seatbelts. More specifically, we are looking to reduce the GHG intensity and other sustainability impacts such as land use of our polymers with primary attributes. A desired solution could involve using more sustainable virgin materials and/or recycling the materials more efficiently.

Preferred partners must also be able to demonstrate the required performance in an automotive interior context and show scalability of their process in very large-scale serial production. We are open to investigating a wide range of high-performing polymers. The challenge is to have a primary attribute equal to today's performance that can be offered to Autoliv customers as a premium product with more design options.

Your opportunity with Autoliv

With Autoliv or a selected partner, this project has the potential for a disruptive change, starting at a fundamental level but with an outlook towards large-scale industrialization. With our yearly polymer use of 70 kton or more, there is also a significant business opportunity. A selected partner will have the opportunity to utilize our vast expertise, spanning from material science to large-scale industrial manufacturing.

For an interested partner to be considered, they must demonstrate fundamental innovation and the ability to scale up to large series production without compromising product quality. After a successful feasibility phase to ensure our requirements are met, we aim for a time to market of 2-3 years for the initial launch.

Focus Areas

Examples of solutions we’re interested in

Bio-based polymers

A successful solution could help replace fossil fuel-based polymers with a bio-based alternative.

Polymer recycling

A successful solution could help reduce the overall GHG intensity associated with the polymers by introducing more efficient recycling methods.

Performance

As an automotive safety supplier, our materials need to meet the highest performance standards. Therefore, a successful solution cannot compromise on quality and performance compared to the materials used today.

All opportunities

This opportunity is no longer open

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