March 3, 2026 13:33
Within the European Parliament committees, the proposed EU Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and the management of end-of-life vehicles (ELV) is beginning to take clearer shape.
An updated draft (available as an attachment) was approved in recent days by the Environment (ENVI) and Internal Market (IMCO) committees, as well as by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (Coreper).
The post-consumer recycled plastic targets agreed in December between the EU Council and the European Parliament (read article) have been confirmed: 15% within 72 months (six years) of the regulation’s entry into force, rising to 25% within 10 years.
At least 20% of the recycled plastics will have to come from closed-loop recycling processes, meaning material recovered from end-of-life vehicles or from components removed from vehicles during use.
For calculation purposes, thermoplastics and elastomers that can be processed as plastics are included. However, tyre elastomers (which will be regulated separately) are excluded from both the total weight and the recycled-content calculation, as are thermosets (with the exception of polyurethane seat foams) due to the technical challenges associated with recycling them.
Notably, chemical recycling is implicitly permitted among the “other recycling methods”, with allocation based on a mass-balance approach.
To ensure transparency, manufacturers will be required to provide technical documentation demonstrating the share of recycled materials present in the vehicle at the type-approval stage. In addition, each vehicle will be equipped with a digital passport containing detailed information on the safe removal of components and the use of circular materials.
The regulation also formally introduces a definition of “bio-based plastics”, but does not set binding targets for their use, instead inviting the authorities to revisit the issue within six years of the regulation’s entry into force.
In terms of scope, the regulation will apply not only to passenger cars but also to commercial vehicles (vans) and, in part, industrial vehicles (trucks), trailers and motorcycles. Military and emergency vehicles, historic vehicles, caravans and small-series vehicles remain excluded.
Before entering into force, the regulation must be formally adopted by Parliament and the EU Council. This will take place after the text has been translated into all official EU languages and undergone legal and linguistic revision.
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