Recycled plastics in cars: why we need an effective, well thought-out ELV regulation
Most of us never think about what happens to our cars after their final journey, long after the last technical inspection, after the engine dies, after the keys are handed in. And yet, as Europe moves towards a circular economy, what happens to those vehicles, and the plastics inside them, matters more than ever, writes Silvia Vecchione, ACEA Senior Environmental Policy Manager.
The European Commission’s proposal to revise the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) rules is more than just another piece of EU law; it’s a real chance to make car recycling smarter, cleaner, and more efficient. Car makers in Europe are already designing vehicles that last longer, use fewer raw materials, and are easier to recycle, as highlighted in a recent European Environment Agency report.
Stronger rules that encourage circularity and reduce waste are necessary, but those rules must be clear, fair, and realistic, because changing how we design and recycle cars is no small task. Vehicles are among the most complex consumer products we make.
Take plastics, for example. Everyone talks about adding more recycled plastic in cars, but that’s only possible if the right materials are available and if recyclers can meet strict quality and safety standards. If the targets are too high, too soon, we risk doing more harm than good, like using lower quality plastics that don’t perform or can’t be safely reused. That’s why we need time, support for new recycling technologies, and a standard EU-wide method to measure what counts as “recycled.
When a car is scrapped, it’s far too often the case that the plastic ends up being incinerated or landfilled. This is a missed opportunity, both in terms of protecting the environment and ensuring economic prosperity.
The revised ELV Regulation proposal aims to change that by introducing mandatory targets for the use of recycled plastic in new vehicles. These are ambitious goals, but they are also a chance to set a precedent: that circularity is possible even in the most complex, globalised industries.
For policymakers, the question is not whether this transformation is needed. It is. The question is how we make it work in a credible, fair, and doable way.
The new rules must not create trade-offs between sustainability goals. More circularity should not mean less safety, less innovation, or higher CO2 emissions elsewhere in the system. Let’s avoid overcomplicating the rules with too many technical restrictions or overlapping regulations that confuse more than they help.
Cars, for example, remain in use for between 9-to-17 years on average, and across that lifetime, they must be safe, high-performing, and, in an increasingly electrified sector, long-lasting.
This means that not every recycled plastic will do, and not every supplier can meet the standards being set.
The targets being set must be realistic and must be accompanied by the right tools: a clear, straightforward, standard method for calculating recycled content, a certification system that gives manufacturers and regulators confidence, and most critically, time. A 72-month transition period for new vehicle types is not indulgence, it’s the raw reality of how innovation and production happen.
We must also be careful not to turn this regulation into a closed shop. Proposals to limit where recycled plastics can be sourced, for instance by favouring EU-origin materials or creating lists of “eligible countries”, may sound like sound policy, but this would risk undermining the very goals we want to achieve.
Let’s not forget: circularity doesn’t stop at the EU’s borders. It simply can’t.
Europe’s automotive value chains are global, and limiting access to recycled plastics from abroad would choke supply just as demand is growing. It would also send the wrong message to our partners across emerging economies, where we actively promote sustainable recycling through initiatives like the AFRECAR project in Africa.
Instead, we should be leading by example, not by restriction.
Europe can be the standard-setter for responsible plastic recycling worldwide. But that means building partnerships, not barriers.
Ultimately, what’s at stake here isn’t just vehicle regulation. It’s the credibility of our circular economy ambitions. It’s our ability to show citizens that sustainability isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something we design into the fabric of daily life. Even into the cars they drive.
This regulation has the potential to be a European success story that combines ambition with realism, and environmental stewardship with economic sense. However, it will only succeed if it reflects how the industry actually works, how change actually happens, and how progress must be shared, not hoarded.
A strong ELV Regulation should aim high, but stay grounded in how vehicles are made, used, and disposed of in the real world. If we get it right, this law can help Europe lead on green innovation, without leaving anyone behind.
Let’s give the ELV Regulation the support it needs not just to pass, but to work long-term. Because in a truly circular economy, every end is a beginning. Even for plastic.
Stronger rules that encourage circularity and reduce waste are necessary, but those rules must be clear, fair, and realistic, because changing how we design and recycle cars is no small task. Vehicles are among the most complex consumer products we make.
