End-of-life Vehicles
EuRIC represents the vast majority of end-of-life (ELV) recycling facilities including shredders and post-shredders, and producers of recycledplastics, rubber and metal that are incorporated into new vehicles and automotive parts. EuRIC also represents Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs) that dismantle ELVs into its constituent material or component parts for subsequent recycling or reuse
EuRIC has a strong interest in the ELV and 3R Type-Approval Directives and advocates for the highest levels of environmental standards as part of their revision. For the recycling industry, several key concerns must be addressed to build upon the success noted within the European Commission’s Evaluation report on the state of ELV treatment in the EU. These concerns include missing vehicles, eco-design of new vehicles to facilitate them being recycled, recycled content, and free and fair compensation to allow the circular economy for ELVs to thrive.
It is crucial that the approximately 4 million ELVs of unknown whereabouts are captured and sent to proper Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs). Missing vehicles mean that high-value materials may not be properly treated and recycled in an environmentally sound manner. The complex design and composition of ELVs pose challenges for recycling. In recent years, increased use of certain materials e.g., plastics with certain additives and multi-material (composite) plastics have created a problematic landscape for maintaining high ELV recycling rates. These obstacles to reuse and recycling could be easily avoided with better eco-design measures.
Recycled content for metals, plastics and tyres is instrumental to scale up capacity for mature technologies and to reward climate and environmental benefits of recycling by driving demand. EuRIC supports technically achievable recycled content targets of 25% for thermoplastics by 2025, 20% recycled rubber for 2030 and 10% for tyres by 2030.
Fair compensation should be provided by car manufacturers to recyclers for the additional cost burden for the dismantling of low-value parts. How compensation is implemented should be carefully considered to avoid the creation of monopolies that would limit free and fair competition amongst dismantlers and shredders.
ELVs Glossary for Beginners:
ELV: End-of-Life Vehicles
PST: Post-Shredding Technology
ATF: Authorised Treatment Facility
EPR: Extended Producer Responsibility
71-74% metals
A standard car is composed of
12-15% polymers (plastics)
5% elastomers (rubber)
3% Glass
6% other materials
35%
of ELVs are classified as ‘missing vehicles’ which are not reported and therefore not recycled
