Circular wheels are turning but real change is stalling says EuRIC

EuRIC is calling on legislators to maintain a high level of ambition regarding recycled content targets for plastics in vehicles. ‘This is vital to ensure automotive circularity,’ the umbrella recycling organisation argues.

‘We need to drive investments and preserve the EU plastics recycling industry, which is facing extremely harsh conditions,’ EuRIC states. Plastic recyclers are struggling to remain viable due to low demand and prices.

The organisation points out that an average of 80% of plastics recovered from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) are either being landfilled or incinerated.

Design in recycling

Mandatory recycled content targets are essential to bridge vehicles design with their end-of-life treatment, EuRIC insists. Such targets would also boost demand for circular materials and prevent material losses.

As highlighted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, recycled content targets of 25% provide the best cost-benefit balance, avoid excessive costs and supply shortages and offer planning certainty with some manufacturers already exceeding the proposed targets.

Moreover, recycled content targets are also seen a pre-condition for reaching the 30% plastic recycling target required by the new regulation for ELVs.

Avoiding an impossible scenario

In the absence of a robust mechanism to reward the use of recycled plastics in automotive, EuRIC argues that demand for recyclates will remain low. Consequently, achieving the 30% recycling rate for ELV plastics will not be possible.

EuRIC underlines that stability for planning and investments in R&D, innovation and the scaling-up of recycling capacities is paramount. ‘Therefore, we urge to avoid any reduction of targets or revision clauses that could undermine predictability and harm investments.’

Key proposals include:

• Investment stability for plastic recyclers in Europe by rejecting any attempts to reduce, postpone, revise or otherwise water down minimum targets.
• Direct results on circularity in vehicles by bringing forward the minimum 25% recycled plastics target, including the 25% closed loop target, to four years after the regulation’s entry into force.
• Fair competition through robust certification of recycled content regarding environmental, human health and social aspects, especially in the face of international competition