January 13, 2026 12:45

Toyoda Gosei is enhancing rubber devulcanization technologies to increase recycled content in vehicle interiors, enabling the use of recycled material in EPDM weatherstrips and their first application on Toyota’s new RAV4.

Made from EPDM rubber, the components are used to seal doors, windows, the tailgate and the windshield, protecting the vehicle interior from rain, wind, dust and snow.

The development has been enabled by technological improvements in the devulcanization process, allowing post-consumer rubber to be recovered without generating unpleasant odors, a key limitation of earlier technologies.

As a result, the recycled rubber content in automotive components has increased from less than 5% to 20%. The achievement was recognized by Toyota Motor with a Project Award.

Toyoda Gosei is continuing applied research to extend the process beyond synthetic rubber, used in products such as elastomer hoses, to natural rubber, which is consumed in larger volumes.
The company is also working with automakers and other partners to establish a circular system for the collection and recycling of rubber from end-of-life vehicles.

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