Brussels, 18 June 2026 – Recycling Europe welcomes today’s vote by the European Parliament plenary approving the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulation, bringing years of negotiations to a close and setting a clear direction for the future of Europe’s automotive industry. The political debate on whether recycled materials should play a greater role in vehicle manufacturing is now settled. The real question is whether Europe is prepared to create the demand, investment certainty and industrial partnerships needed to deliver the targets it has just adopted.

The Regulation introduces new requirements on vehicle design, recycled content, producer responsibility and end-of-life management, recognising recycling as a strategic pillar of Europe’s industrial, competitiveness and resource security agenda.

Julia Ettinger, Secretary-General of Recycling Europe, said: “Today’s vote provides long-term regulatory certainty for the entire automotive value chain. The discussion can now move from negotiating targets to delivering them. What is striking is that, despite a political agreement having already been reached, some voices continue to argue that there will not be enough recycled materials available to meet targets that will only start applying years from now. That is the wrong debate”.

While welcoming the vote, Recycling Europe stresses that if the objective is to ensure sufficient recycled material availability by 2032, the solution is not to weaken ambition but to create the right investment conditions today. The future supply of high-quality recycled plastics and metals will depend on predictable demand, functioning markets and long-term commitments from manufacturers to use recycled materials.

“Recyclers have been ready to invest in advanced sorting technologies and additional recycling capacity, but these investments require clear market signals,” Ettinger added. “If Europe wants more recycled materials tomorrow, it needs stronger demand for them today.”

Recycling Europe calls on vehicle manufacturers to engage constructively with recyclers in implementing the new rules and building a genuinely circular automotive value chain. The ELV Regulation is now agreed, and its targets are part of European law. The focus should now shift from debating the targets to working together to deliver them.