In Autoneum's range of automobile carpets, an alternative backcoating method is being launched, which replaces commonly used latex with a thermoplastic substance to greatly increase recyclability at the end of product life.

Furthermore, the new backcoating application technique consumes much less water and energy during production.

Carpet innovations based on lightweight textiles, such as Di-Light or Relive-1, have already improved the environmental performance of carpets. Di-Light carpets are about 20% lighter than traditional needlepunch carpets, and they include up to 97 percent recycled PET.

The thermoplastic adhesives, unlike latex, may be heated and melted down with the pure PET carpet components at the end of the product life cycle. Thermoplastic mono-materials are also easier to open, and carpet cut-outs are more easily recovered.

The in-house developed thermoplastic adhesives will offer up new options for tailoring backcoatings to specific vehicle manufacturer demands in terms of acoustic performance, stiffness, and abrasion resistance.

Autoneum's latex-free needlepunch carpets are already installed on models from various clients in Europe and North America, and backcoatings with thermoplastic adhesives will be utilized for the company's tufted carpet range in the near future.