AUTOMOTIVE | INNOVATION
European Union plans 25% recycled plastics content target in new cars
The European Commission has set out its plans to replace the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive with a Regulation which it hopes will lead to an annual reduction of 12.3m tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2035. It is proposing measures to enhance the circularity of the automotive sector, covering the design, production and end-of-life treatment of vehicles. There is a particular focus on plastics: a key proposal is for at least 25% of plastics used to build a vehicle comes from recycling, and of that amount 25% would come from recycled ELVs. Other proposals: require car makers to provide detailed instructions for dismantlers; encour- age the recovery of more and better- quality raw materials; and ensure that producers are made financially responsible for vehicles when they become waste (including the financing of mandatory ELV treatment opera- tions and incentivising recyclers to improve material quality). Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commis- sioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said: “This new approach will make the European vehicle industry more sustainable and resilient, reduce dependence on
The European Commission’s proposals include improvements in dismantling ELVs
primary raw materials and energy, boost EU’s recycling sector and enhance the markets for used spare parts and secondary materials.” There were positive industry
responses to the Commission’s proposals announced in mid-July. Pan-European recycling body EuRIC said: “By setting a target of minimum 25% plastic recycled by weight from post-consumer plastic waste six years after the entry into force of the new ELV Regulation, the European Commission is sending the right signal at a time when low oil prices
Philipp Eder, Project Manager for Circular Economy in the Supply Chain at Audi, says: “Audi’s vision is to use secondary materials wherever it is technically possible, economically viable and ecologically beneficial. The PlasticLoop project is part of Audi’s circular economy strategy and a good example of cross-sector cooperation within the Audi supply chain. Findings from the project are also incorporated into the product develop- ment of future vehicle projects via the Design for Recycling approach.” Audi says it wants to steadily increase the share of
recyclates in its cars over the coming years. Audi Procurement is working to establish material cycles for automotive applications wherever it is technically possible and makes economic and ecological sense.
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are badly affecting the demand for recycled plastics.” Virginia Janssens, Managing
Director, Plastics Europe, said: “Many of the plastics used in the automotive industry are high performance products which require the highest quality of polymers available, and which can be very difficult to recycle. Therefore, the ambitious 25% recy- cled content targets proposed by the Commission can only be met with a combination of mechanical recycling, and innovative technologies such as chemical recycling.”
Future Sustainable Car Materials (FSCM) is a
collaborative project with German federal govern- ment funding which aims to strengthen a closed- loop system for plastics and metals across the automotive value chain, increase the amount of secondary materials and bio-based materials, and reduce CO2 emissions. Recycling and recompound- ing group Wipag and additives group Evonik are involved as specialists for plastics recycling in the three-year project, which is led by BMW Group. “Currently, it is particularly challenging to
provide materials from different recyclable material streams in a consistently high quality for circular economy. In the project, partners with different competencies in materials development will work closely together to develop solutions for this,” says
July/August 2023 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 25
IMAGE: AUDI
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