EU sets recycled plastic targets for cars
European carmakers will soon be required to use more recycled plastics in new vehicles under provisional EU rules agreed on Friday by member states and lawmakers.
The deal mandates that at least 25 percent of plastics used in cars, trucks, and motorcycles must be recycled within 10 years, with an intermediate target of 15 percent in six years, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
At least 20 percent of recycled materials must come from old, scrap vehicles, according to the European Council representing member states.
Magnus Heunicke, Denmark’s environment minister, said the agreement represents “a significant step towards a circular economy for the European automotive sector.”
Vehicle manufacturing accounts for 10 percent of EU plastics consumption and 19 percent of the bloc’s steel demand. The deal, while provisional, requires official endorsement from the European Council and the European Parliament before formal adoption.
The agreement also instructs the European Commission to set future targets for recycled steel, aluminum, magnesium, and critical raw materials, while banning exports of old, non-roadworthy vehicles. Approximately 3.5 million vehicles “disappear without trace from EU roads” each year through illegal disposal, export, or dismantling.
Originally, the Commission proposed achieving the 25-percent recycled plastic target within six years, but member states and parliament secured a slower timeline during negotiations. Critics, including environmental group EEB, described the deal as a case of “political backsliding under industry pressure.”
The agreement comes days before the Commission reviews the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. German lawmaker Manfred Weber noted that the ban could be replaced with a 90 percent CO2 reduction target for new registrations from 2035, allowing existing engine production to continue, though no final decision has been made.
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