Press releases
17.09.2025
Marelli, a global mobility technology supplier to the automotive sector, has been named a winner of the 2025 Enlighten Award in the ‘Sustainable Process’ category, for its “Adhesive Wastewater Recovery Solution”. This innovative procedure recovers about 85% of the wastewater generated during the cleaning of machinery in the manufacturing of interior parts. The award ceremony was held on September 16th in Detroit, Michigan (USA), as part of the CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS), an event focused on the future of the global automotive industry.
Presented in association with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the Altair Enlighten Award honors the greatest sustainability and lightweighting advancements that successfully reduce carbon footprint, mitigate water and energy consumption, and leverage material reuse and recycling efforts.
Marelli’s Adhesive Wastewater Recovery Solution significantly improves water recovery and reduces waste during the cleaning of machinery used for adhesive bonding, which is a process commonly used in the wrapping of vehicle interior parts. After each use, the spray gun, hose, and related components used in the bonding process must be cleaned of adhesive residue. The water that remains after cleaning contains organic content, which classifies it as industrial waste; therefore, it cannot be reused for other manufacturing operations and must be properly disposed of.
The new method developed by Marelli uses three chemical agents, mixed at precise ratios, that allow to separate, condense and solidify the organic solvents (adhesive residue) within the wastewater. The remaining water can then be reused in other manufacturing operations within the same plant. Thus, this solution benefits the environment and streamlines operations, eliminating additional steps required for disposing of industrial wastewater, with an efficiency advantage.
After extensive testing with several global suppliers to identify the most suitable chemical agents, ratios, and combinations, Marelli launched this process in late 2024 at its plant in Kyushu, Japan. With this method, the site has been able to reduce its water usage by 8,160 kilograms per year. The company intention is to expand the approach more broadly in the future.
This solution aligns with Marelli’s sustainability goals of conserving water, supporting responsible resource consumption and production, and helping its customers create a more circular economy along the entire value chain.
"We're honored to win the Altair Enlighten Award for our Adhesive Wastewater Recovery Solution.” stated Tsukasa Fujii, President of Marelli’s Interiors business. “This innovation embodies the Marelli culture of aiming to use resources efficiently, drawing also from Japanese know-how, which in particular developed this solution. This was also made possible by the strong leadership of our factory managers, based on our ‘Plant First’ approach. We will continue to partner with automotive OEMs to contribute to a sustainable society, and we believe this technology will set new industry standards."