FEAD, EuRIC, PRE, T&E, ECOS and EEB urge policymakers to uphold the targets set by the European Commission and reject any attempts to dilute them. They also urge the rejection of provisions that seek to expand the scope to include new waste types or materials, which could undermine Europe’s recycling and waste management industries.
The overall ambition of the draft report has been significantly weakened compared to the Commission’s proposal, with key rollbacks including a reduction in the recycled plastic content target from 25% to 20% and a decrease in the closed-loop target from 25% to 15%, threatening to slow progress toward a truly circular automotive sector. Ambitious recycled content benchmarks are crucial to stimulate investments in the technologies and infrastructure necessary to recycle ELVs plastics efficiently, enhancing material recovery rates and reducing the volume of waste sent to energy recovery or landfills.
Furthermore, the inclusion of biobased plastic and pre-consumer plastic waste to count toward the minimum recycled content and the closed-loop target for new vehicles poses a further threat to the original scope of the proposed rules, as they do not refer to the end-of-life treatment of plastics, and thus, it would not have any positive effect on increasing circularity and recycling of plastics. This would instead significantly hinder the plastic recycling sector by redirecting attention and resources away from genuine recycling efforts. Instead of supporting investments in recycling infrastructure, it risks creating a false perception of progress while failing to strengthen automotive plastics circularity and ultimately delaying the transition to a truly circular economy. In addition, it is needed to ensure that all viable recycling technologies contribute effectively to a robust and truly circular plastics economy.
As Europe strives for competitiveness and regulatory simplification, it is crucial that policy choices do not weaken circularity or limit the potential for high-quality recycling. A more ambitious approach with ambitious targets for recycled plastic content in vehicles is essential to ensure that valuable materials are recovered, Europe’s recycling industry remains competitive, and the continent reduces its dependence on imported raw materials.
