A study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) examined the entire plastics supply chain, from raw materials to the recycling process.

In order to gain insights and make recommendations for the development of the new End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (ELV), researchers at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) examined the plastics supply chain in the automotive sector. According to a pressrelease from the Directorate-General for Environment, they analysed the specialist literature and consulted experts, employees, industry associations, manufacturers and plastics recyclers along the plastics supply chain – from raw materials and suppliers of moulded parts to vehicle recycling.
 
According to the study's authors, an average car contains around 240 kilograms of plastic, but only a fraction of this is currently recycled. The automotive industry would account for around ten per cent of all plastics consumed in the European Union. On average, only three per cent of the plastic in new vehicles was recycled material.
 
The JRC study concludes that there are four main categories of obstacles to increased recycling: cultural barriers such as a lack of information exchange, regulatory barriers due to differences in waste regulations between EU countries, economic factors, and technical problems such as the limited suitability of post-consumer plastic waste or composite materials that are difficult to recycle. To solve these problems, the authors of the study propose, for example, setting binding targets for recycled materials in order to promote plastic recovery and ensure demand for these recycled materials from car manufacturers. Priority should also be given to the collection and sorting of plastics at the end of a vehicle's life. They see potential drivers of the circular economy as including increased consumer awareness, higher recycling targets and supportive regulations, greater use of polymers that are easier to recycle, and the development of new chemical recycling technologies.
 
The study also recommends policy measures such as adjusting the cost structure for recycled materials, promoting the circular economy at product design and expanding post-shredding facilities. A combination of incentives and regulation, as well as appropriate transition periods, are also recommended. Policies should cover different types of plastics and aim for a broader scope of application. The authors suggest the following options:

1. Voluntary commitments to use recycled/recyclable plastics in new vehicles, to be adopted by individual car manufacturers.
2. Mandatory requirements for the collection and disclosure of information on plastic recycling within the vehicle manufacturing supply chain.
3. Mandatory targets for the use of recycled plastic in new vehicles, to be phased in over a realistic period of time.

ccording to the JRC team, these and all other policy measures should be subject to a detailed impact assessment as part of the decision-making process, including a quantitative assessment to model their impact in a range of scenarios. In addition, further studies and analyses are recommended, including, for example, research on the impact of plastic recycling on environmental parameters and decarbonisation.
 
Further informationen: Link to the JRC study “Increasing plastic circularity in the automotive sector: Supply chain analysis and policy options from the European Union (EU)”
 
Sources:

• Press release from the Directorate-General for Environment (6.11.2025)
• Photo: © Documerica / Unsplash (symbolic image)