The regulation that will oblige cars to be manufactured with 25% recycled plastic in Europe comes into force

BarcelonaThis Thursday, European regulations requiring car manufacturers to produce cars with 25% recycled plastic come into effect. The rule will be applied progressively: by 2032, European producers will have to include 15% recycled plastic parts or components in their vehicles, although from 2036 the mandatory percentage will rise to 25%.

The regulations also indicate that manufacturers will have to facilitate the dismantling, reuse, and recycling of the elements that make up a car. "The regulation is not just about waste, but also about resilience and Europe's industrial future," assured the Vice-President of the Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné. The regulation on end-of-life vehicles (ELV, for its English acronym) revises the rules governing the design, production, collection, and treatment of vehicles when they cease to function. Furthermore, the law foresees the European Commission (EC) establishing targets for steel and aluminum from 2033.

Strengthening circularity

According to the EC, the objective of the measure is to strengthen circularity in the automotive sector by improving resource efficiency, increasing the recovery and reuse of valuable materials, and enhancing the environmental performance of cars throughout their life cycle. Likewise, the regulation will help ensure a more stable supply of secondary raw materials and reduce Europe's dependence on imported resources.

In this regard, the law introduces new measures to promote greater recovery of critical raw materials from vehicles – especially aluminum, copper, and rare earth elements – to facilitate their reuse and recycling in the European Union. Furthermore, it also establishes that, from mid-2031, only passenger cars that are roadworthy will be allowed to be exported outside the EU territory, to prevent old cars from being sold as used vehicles. According to EC data, every year, between 10 and 12 million cars in Europe reach the end of their useful life and are treated as waste.

The Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, has highlighted that the new regulation aims to ensure the supply of critical materials and "make our automotive sector truly circular." "Every car that is dismantled, every ton of steel, aluminum, copper, or plastic that is recovered, is a step towards a more resilient Europe," she stressed.