BMW, FORVIA HELLA and Covestro test a new approach to automotive headlamp recycling

A modern automotive headlamp is considerably more difficult to recycle than its external appearance might suggest.

Polycarbonate and other engineering plastics, electronic and mechatronic components, metals, optical systems and different joining technologies form an assembly primarily designed for performance and efficient manufacturing.

At the end of a vehicle's life, this high level of integration becomes a challenge.

The German KOLLEKT research project aims to fundamentally change this approach. Instead of simply looking for a more efficient way to recycle an existing headlamp, the partners want future components to be designed from the outset with repair, reuse, disassembly and material recovery in mind.

The consortium is coordinated by FORVIA HELLA and includes BMW, Covestro, Geba, Fraunhofer IEM, Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Paderborn University, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and SW Maschinenservice.

Recycling begins before the headlamp is manufactured

The central principle behind KOLLEKT is Design for Circularity.
Instead of the traditional manufacture – use – disposal model, the project applies four successive strategies:
Repair → Re-Use → Remanufacture → Recycle

The order is important.
If a component can be repaired or reused, its value should be retained before it is converted back into raw material.Material recycling therefore becomes one of the final stages of the system rather than the default solution for every component reaching the end of its first service life.

For automotive headlamps, this also means reconsidering how individual components are designed and assembled.

Robots and AI for headlamp disassembly

One of KOLLEKT's most interesting technical elements is the development of a flexible robotic disassembly cell. Instead of sending the complete headlamp directly into a shredding process, the project aims to separate the assembly in a controlled manner.
Robots combined with AI-based data processing will be used to identify and dismantle components through a process designed to be as precise and automated as possible.
The objective is to recover reusable components and obtain material fractions with a high degree of purity before the actual recycling stage begins.
This distinction is particularly important for engineering plastics.

The less different materials are mixed during dismantling, the greater the opportunity to obtain recycled streams with properties suitable for subsequent technical applications.

A digital twin tells the system what it is dismantling

Robotic disassembly is complemented by digital product twins.
These link the physical product with information about its construction, materials and manufacturing processes.
The data can be used by the disassembly system to determine how the assembly should be separated and which materials should be recovered.

KOLLEKT aims to connect material, product and process information within a digital system capable of supporting a transparent and traceable circular value chain.
In such a model, information about the material effectively becomes part of the recycling technology.
Instead of receiving only a complex end-of-life object whose composition must subsequently be identified, the recycling process could benefit from information generated and retained throughout the product's life cycle.

Plastics fractions are separated after disassembly

Robotic dismantling is not the end of the process.
Recovered components will pass through an optimised sorting stage in which contaminants are removed and different plastics fractions are separated.
The resulting materials will then be characterised to determine their properties and the most appropriate recovery route.

The technical approach can be summarised as:
Design for Circularity → Repair / Re-Use / Remanufacture → robotic disassembly → sorting → plastics fraction separation → characterisation → recycling → secondary material

The objective is to avoid unnecessary loss of material quality through premature mixing of different polymers and other materials.

Mechanical recycling and, where appropriate, chemical recycling
For plastics fractions reaching the recycling stage, KOLLEKT does not rely on a single technology.
Recovered materials will be prepared for mechanical recycling and, for certain streams, chemical recycling.
Mechanical recycling therefore remains an important part of the concept.
The appropriate route will depend on the material, contamination level, required properties and the possibility of recovering it at a quality suitable for a new application.

The overall objective is to retain as much material value as possible within the circular system.

Polycarbonate as a strategic automotive lighting material

Covestro's role in the project is particularly relevant from an engineering plastics perspective.
Polycarbonate is widely used in modern automotive lighting systems because of its combination of transparency, impact resistance, design freedom and dimensional stability.
For closed-loop systems, however, recovering sufficiently pure material while maintaining the properties required for automotive applications represents a significant challenge.
Within KOLLEKT, Covestro contributes expertise in materials, their end-of-life behaviour and recyclate quality.
The aim is to consider both material properties and recovery options from the earliest stages of component design.

From headlamp recycling towards “car-to-car”

The ultimate objective extends beyond recovering several kilograms of plastic from an end-of-life headlamp.
KOLLEKT aims to create the conditions for materials recovered from automotive components to return to high-value industrial applications.
For the plastics industry, this illustrates the difference between conventional recycling and a potential car-to-car model:

end-of-life headlamp → controlled disassembly → material recovery → recycling → high-quality secondary material → new automotive application

If such a model can be industrialised, it could have significant implications for engineering plastics producers, compounders, injection moulders and recyclers.

A model that could extend beyond automotive lighting

KOLLEKT builds on research conducted under the previous NALYSES project, which investigated sustainable headlamp design, material strategies, recycling options and product life cycles.
The new project aims to integrate these elements into a complete circular value chain.

And its potential application is not limited to headlamps.

The partners expect the results to be transferable to other mechatronic and electronic components as well as applications outside the automotive sector.

For the plastics industry, KOLLEKT is particularly relevant because it treats recycling not as an isolated operation at the end of a product's life, but as a system that begins with the design of the component itself.

Sources:

• Covestro, 10 August 2026 – Research Project KOLLEKT Advances Circular Economy for Automotive Lighting Components
• FORVIA HELLA, 5 August 2026 – Research project “KOLLEKT” develops circular vehicle components
• Plastics Information Europe (PIE), 19 August 2026 – Automotive Lighting / KOLLEKT