To promote dialogue among academia, companies, and other agents in the automotive sector, creating synergies that accelerate the adoption of more sustainable and innovative solutions, the event “Pact for the Circular Economy - Automotive Sector” will take place on the afternoon of 23 May.

The meeting, organised by the Porsche Coimbra Service Centre and UC, aims, according to Margarida Anastácio, Innovation Manager at UC Business, to publicise "the innovations developed at UC, within the scope of the circular economy, and to raise awareness in the automotive sector".

"There is already a large economy around this sector, such as the tire recycling process, which is the best known, but there are many others, such as automotive glass, although it is a recent technology and has some difficulties, and some treatments, albeit tenuous, in the area of ​​lubricating oils, in the area of ​​batteries, namely for electric vehicles, in addition to the reintroduction of bioplastics and the recycling of vehicle textiles themselves."

According to the expert, technology already exists for many areas of the circular economy in the automotive sector, although some are not well publicised and are at a level of development that needs further work to reach, for example, the level of tyre recycling.

"We still have a long way to go in implementing existing solutions, from glass, textiles and plastics," stressed Margarida Anastácio, highlighting that all these issues related to sustainability will be discussed at the 23 May meeting.

The event will showcase the results and technological advancements of research and innovation projects developed by UC within the framework of the mobilising agendas of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).