WASHINGTON (Aug. 12, 2026) – Plastics are increasingly essential to making vehicles safer, lighter and more technologically advanced, and their role will continue to grow with the expansion of self-driving and electrified vehicles, according to a new report, Plastics and Chemistry in Automobiles, from the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
The report finds that the average North American vehicle contained 428 pounds of plastics and polymer composites in 2025, up 18% from just a decade ago. These materials account for more than half of a vehicle’s volume but less than 10% of its weight. Plastics make vehicles lighter, improving fuel efficiency and reducing fuel costs at the pump, while also enhancing safety. The role of plastics in the components that prevent accidents and protect occupants in an accident cannot be overstated: seat belts, airbags, sensors, cameras and radars enabling automated collision avoidance and driver assistance, and structural components able to absorb greater crash energy than metals are all made with plastic, saving lives every day.
“Open the door to a modern vehicle and plastics help shape nearly every part of the experience, from the soft-touch dashboard, cushioned seats, touchscreen displays, lighted trim, steering wheel controls, rearview mirror and speakers, that make every drive more comfortable and connected,” said Gina Oliver, senior director of durable markets at ACC. “Plastics are woven into the safety, style and everyday comforts drivers and passengers are accustomed to.”
The growing use of plastics highlights the need to recover and recycle more automotive plastics at the end of a vehicle’s life. Greater investments in the infrastructure to dismantle, sort and recycle automotive plastics are needed in the U.S. With advanced recycling technologies now capable of processing many of the specialized automotive plastics mechanical recycling can’t easily process, such as foam seat cushions, bumpers, and battery housings, there is tremendous potential to greatly increase the amount of material recovered from a vehicle to recycle into new auto components.
“The plastics in end-of-life vehicles are too valuable to waste,” said Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers. “Our ability to recover and recycle these materials is not only important for driving sustainability, but it's also increasingly central to global competitiveness. If we don’t recover more of those plastics from vehicles soon, we jeopardize our ability to sell American autos, parts and components in markets such as the European Union and Japan, where recycled-content requirements and targets are advancing.”
Expanding automotive plastics recycling will require collaboration across automakers, parts suppliers, dismantlers, recyclers and plastic producers. Federal policy that provides regulatory certainty for advanced recycling facilities, clear standards for recycled-content claims, and helps align stakeholders across the auto recycling chain can accelerate this transition. Pilot projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Global Impact Coalition demonstrate the feasibility of recovering plastics from automobiles and the potential for broader commercial deployment.
Read the full ACC report, Plastics and Chemistry in Automobiles, and the fact sheet.
