Recycled Plastic, Mandatory even in new Vehicles

The automotive industry is among those that use the largest quantities of primary aluminium, steel, and plastic for the manufacture of new vehicles placed on the Union market.

Therefore, in its 2023 proposal, the European Commission recommended increasing the use of recycled plastic in vehicles—considering the low recycling rate of plastic, particularly that coming from end-of-life vehicles, and the overall negative impact of other plastic waste treatment methods. To this end, it would be appropriate to set a mandatory target for post-consumer recycled plastic content in new vehicles.

The Regulation proposal approved by the European Parliament on 9 September 2025 establishes that, within six years of the Regulation’s entry into force, the plastic contained in each new type-approved vehicle must consist of at least 20% recycled plastic, recovered from post-consumer plastic waste and from pre-consumer plastic waste streams, assigned through a chain of custody in accordance with ISO standard 22095:2020.

Once this Regulation is definitively approved, it will repeal the current Directive on end-of-life vehicles (Directive 2000/53).