Associations call for ELV regulation to promote circularity

The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) and the European Waste Management Association (FEAD) said that the regulation should promote fair, transparent practices and ensure the uptake of recycled materials. 

A spokesperson for the associations said: “EuRIC and FEAD believe the upcoming End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) is the right opportunity to set the right safeguards that prevent practices which hinder competition, circularity, and recyclers’ efforts to recover materials – thereby supporting Europe’s competitiveness and futureproofing recycling and circularity.” 

They have urged policymakers to:  

• Establish independent oversight to monitor the operations of producers and their Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to prevent potential market distortions and conflicts of interest. 

• Recognise that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are not the silver bullet. Where EPR schemes are already in place, the entire recycling value chain, from Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs) to mechanical recyclers (equipped with shredding and post-shredding technologies), must be included in the governance to ensure effective and transparent recycling practices. 

• Ensure that manufacturers cover the full costs of ELV recycling, including dismantling and treatment, with recyclers keeping ownership of the valuable parts and materials recovered. 

Securing investments in recycling 

EuRIC and FEAD also highlighted the ELVR as an opportunity to secure investments in high-quality recycling and the uptake of recycled materials that boost circularity. 

Although they warned that true circularity in automotive is still a long way off. 

They called for:  

• Maintaining the 25% recycled content target for plastics in ELVs, as proposed by the Commission. This target is both realistic and verified, and should be based on post-consumer waste, excluding pre-consumer waste and biobased plastics, which could strongly undermine its effectiveness. 

• Introducing a mandatory recycled content target for steel in automotive, as steel remains the leading material in vehicle production. This target would drive investment and improve the quality of steel recovered from ELVs.