Automobile Recycling: Reusing Resources and Plastic Recovery
Securing recovered plastic raw materials and designing vehicles for easy disassembly
2024/01/30
- Summary
- Securing recycled raw materials - Collaboration with the vehicle dismantling and used parts industry
- Current status and challenges of plastic recycling technology
- Recycling technology for difficult-to-process materials
- European ELV Directive: Removal of parts from end-of-life vehicles, Easier vehicle dismantling by design
- European regulations and Japanese involvement
- U.S. recycling strategy
Summary
 |
| The 3rd Sustainable Material Expo saw the participation of approximately 160 companies competing to develop recyclable materials and equipment, which will be issues in future development. |
Under Japan’s current Automotive Recycling Law, most end-of-life vehicles that achieve a recycling rate of over 95% include the heat generated through the incineration of unrecycled waste. However, from the standpoint of resource circulation, this is not considered recycling, and alternative technologies are required.
In addition, to comply with the requirements of the European end-of-life vehicles (ELV) directive (expected to become regulation) to use 25% recycled plastic after 2030 (25% of which must come from ELVs), automakers and suppliers are now faced with the following challenges:
- Securing obtainment channels and quantities of recycled plastic raw materials
- Collaboration with the vehicle dismantling and used parts industry
- Management of distribution and mutual disclosure of information after the scrapping of vehicles
- Development of technology to recover plastic from end-of-life vehicles
- Vehicle design for easy disassembly and materials standardization
This report provides an overview of trends based on manufacturer presentations and exhibits at trade shows in 2023, with a focus on the recycling of plastics, which will be an issue going forward. The report also outlines recycling regulations in Japan, the U.S., and Europe.
| Exhibitions | Dates | Venue | Planning and management / Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-Plus | September 13-15, 2023 | Tokyo Big Sight | ATEX Co., Ltd. |
| 3rd Sustainable Material Expo | October 4-6, 2023 | Makuhari Messe | RX Japan Ltd. |
Related Reports:
Carbon Neutral Products and Materials (3): Energy Saving and CO2 Reduction (Nov. 2023)
Carbon Neutral Products and Materials (2): Recycling (Nov. 2023)
Carbon Neutral Products and Materials (1): Biomass (Oct. 2023)
Why Cars Can and Must Be Fully Recycled (Jan. 2023)
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