The European Parliament completed voting on the new End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulation on June 18, 2026, marking a new phase in the EU's automotive circular economy regulatory framework. After completing formal procedures, the new regulation will replace the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, which has been in effect for over 25 years. It will shift from a "Directive" framework to a "Regulation" form, establishing more consistent regulatory requirements across the EU and further raising the bar for automotive material recycling and supply chain compliance management.
The core objective of the new ELV Regulation is to drive the automotive industry's transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. Its requirements regarding recycled plastic application, material traceability, vehicle recycling efficiency, and design for recyclability will gradually affect product development and market access strategies for global automotive parts and rubber/plastic material supply chains.
Key Material and Technical Directions:
1. Increased Recycled Plastic Content and Closed-Loop Mechanisms: The regulation is expected to set phased targets to gradually increase the proportion of recycled materials in new vehicle plastics. A closed-loop recycling mechanism is expected to require or encourage some recycled plastics to originate from end-of-life vehicles or automotive parts, promoting a "vehicle-to-vehicle" closed-loop model.
2. Expanded Vehicle Scope: The applicable scope is expected to expand from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles to more vehicle categories, including certain heavy vehicles and buses.
3. Vehicle Information Passport: The regulation will promote digital material information management to enhance automotive material transparency. Future vehicle-related information is expected to include complete vehicle material composition, key component dismantling and recycling information, and chemical compliance data such as REACH SVHC.
4. Design for Dismantling: The regulation will place greater emphasis on recyclability during the vehicle design phase, including reducing the use of composite materials and connection methods that are difficult to dismantle, optimizing component dismantling processes, and encouraging the use of engineering plastics and rubber materials with high recycling value and ease of dismantling.