Europe’s scrapyards are becoming part of its industrial strategy. Millions of cars reaching the end of the road each year contain steel, aluminium, copper and plastics that Brussels increasingly sees as resources Europe cannot afford to lose.
Today (13 August)‚ new EU rules on the design‚ production‚ collection and end of life treatment of vehicles come into force . The European Union seeks to keep more valuable materials inside the EU economy and reduce its dependence on imported raw materials․
Between 10 and 12 million vehicles reach the end of their life in Europe every year. Poor treatment of those vehicles creates environmental problems while allowing millions of tonnes of potentially reusable materials to disappear from the European economy. The latest End of Life Vehicles Regulation seeks to make circularity part of the design, manufacturing, dismantling, and—ultimately—recyclation of cars․
Built-in vehicle recycling systems
Brussels says that increased steel‚ aluminium‚ copper, and plastics recycling will help make Europe less reliant on virgin materials from abroad and improve resource security․ The regulations come at a time when the EU is viewing raw material access as a matter of industrial and economic security. This applies particularly for automotive and other industries experiencing fierce competition and global supply chains․
Manufacturers will have to make vehicles easier to repair and dismantle․ They must explain how to remove and replace components during the vehicle’s useful life and once it has become waste․ The regulation includes the EU’s first legally binding targets for the use of recycled plastics‚ to increase the demand for recycled material and to incentivise manufacturers to incorporate recovered plastics into the production of new vehicles․
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Brussels wants to reuse components, rather than destroying them, in the case of a mechanical failure․ As a result of reuse measures‚ remanufacturing and refurbishment‚ second-hand spare parts are to become more available. Also, this extends the lifespan of components․
The regulation will increase producers’ financial responsibility for end-of-life treatment of vehicles․ The Commission believes that this improved producer responsibility system will result in higher-quality recycling and greater cooperation between vehicle manufacturers‚ dismantlers, and recycling businesses․
Planned autonomy ahead
The Commission is framing the regulation as an industrial policy as well as an environmental move. Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné says: “This End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation is not just about waste‚ it is about resilience and Europe’s industrial future․”
(This) is not only good environmental policy. It is hard-headed industrial policy! — Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
He believes that ensuring planned materials are part of Europe’s supply will reduce dependency on external suppliers and increase EU economic security․ “That is not only good environmental policy – it is hard-headed industrial policy!” he declared․
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall echoed the sentiment‚ calling each recovered tonne of material a step towards Europe’s resilience․ According to Ms Roswall‚ the new End of Life Vehicles Regulation has created a new European legal standard of the design, production, and recovery of cars. It does not focusing only on recycling but also on securing materials and the circularisation of the automotive sector․
Tighter export rules
The regulation also targets what happens to European vehicles once they leave the bloc. Only roadworthy cars will have permission to go outside the EU. This is to prevent the export of end-of-life cars prior to going through regulated waste treatment processes․
A longer term aim is to turn Europe’s ageing vehicle stock into a more predictable domestic supply of industrial materials․ With an automotive industry increasingly focused on reducing costs‚ securing supply chains and reducing dependency on external suppliers‚ the millions of cars coming off European roads each year are becoming more important for what they leave behind․
