FEAD Welcomes European Parliament Approval of End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation to Boost Circularity

The European Parliament has officially approved the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR), a move strongly supported by the European Waste Management Association (FEAD). This legislative framework aims to enhance circularity within the automotive sector by establishing mandatory recycled content targets and strengthening the role of waste management operators. For the recycling industry, the regulation provides the long-term investment certainty needed to scale up capacity for high-quality secondary raw materials.

The European Parliament’s approval of the ELVR, supported by nearly 80% of voting MEPs in Strasbourg, marks a significant shift in how end-of-life vehicles are managed across the EU. FEAD highlights that the regulation establishes a robust system for recycled plastic content, specifically focusing on post-consumer plastic waste to ensure real collection and sorting. These recycled content targets are set to enter into force in six years, providing a realistic timeframe for the waste management sector to prepare and scale up the necessary infrastructure to integrate recyclates back into the automotive value chain.

A critical component of the new regulation is the introduction of a mirror clause for plastics, which mandates that imported materials meet equivalent requirements through rigorous audit and verification mechanisms. According to FEAD Secretary General Paolo Campanella, this measure is essential for safeguarding fair competition and reinforcing confidence in European recycling markets. Additionally, the regulation strengthens the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework by granting waste management operators an official observer role on the governing bodies of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), which is expected to improve transparency and ensure non-discriminatory selection of operators.

The ELVR also formally recognizes Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs) as the primary entities responsible for the ELV treatment chain, including the issuance of Certificates of Destruction. By ensuring proper depollution and high environmental standards, ATFs provide the traceability required to treat end-of-life vehicles as strategic resource streams rather than waste. FEAD, which represents over 3,000 companies and 500,000 jobs across Europe, views this regulation as a vital step toward strategic autonomy and competitiveness, fueling the sector’s annual €5 billion investment into the circular economy.