When a car reaches the end of its life, many of the materials used to construct it are extracted and made into new materials, but parts that are made with large amounts of plastic are usually incinerated instead of being recycled. According to Earth911, the Japanese automaker Mazda has found a way to manufacture bumpers for its vehicles that can be recycled at the end of their life spans and made into bumpers for new vehicles. This will improve the sustainability of its cars and reduce the waste of manufacturing.

Surprisingly, this is not a new phenomenon. Mazda began making bumpers for its cars using recycled materials and plastics that are much easier to break down in the early 1990s. When these vehicles reached the end of their life cycles, the automakers began incorporating some of this plastic into new bumpers and replacement pieces.

However, last month the automaker put the finishing touches on its recyclable bumpers that are made from plastic resin. When the parts reach the end of their lives, they are placed into a machine that breaks them down into plastic resin. Most importantly, the machine removes all traces of paint and small metal parts that could be contaminants in the manufacturing process of new parts. While Mazda is only able to recycle its own bumpers, its new technology can remove the unwanted materials from any part without heating the plastic inside.

This new technology has made Mazda one of the greenest manufacturing companies in the auto industry, and it is another sign of a large corporation putting sustainability at the forefront of its business plan. Mazda hopes to increase the amount of materials that are recycled and used to create new vehicles to cut costs and reduce its burden on the environment.