深度-世界经济论坛-铺路：欧盟汽车循环政策行动（英文）-2021.6-69页_3mb

Summary of the Circular Cars Initiative EU Policy Action for Automotive Circularity

Core Content

The Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) is a collaborative effort among industry stakeholders, regulators, and researchers to advance automotive circularity within the context of the European Green Deal and post-COVID-19 recovery. The initiative aims to support the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and sustainable automotive industry by aligning policy actions with circular economy principles.

The automotive sector is a key player in the European economy, contributing around 7% of GDP, but also responsible for 20% of EU carbon emissions. As the industry moves toward electric vehicles (EVs), it is crucial to address material emissions, which are projected to account for 60% of vehicle life-cycle emissions by 2040. Therefore, the CCI emphasizes a life-cycle-based approach to mobility and manufacturing, aiming to reduce environmental and social impacts while enhancing economic value.

Main Policy Action Areas

The CCI outlines three main policy action areas to drive automotive circularity:

1. Create Cross-Cutting Market Enablers

• Integrate life-cycle perspectives into relevant carbon legislation.
• Improve data availability through digital product passports and data spaces.
• Enable transparency and traceability in vehicle material composition.

2. Reshape Economic Incentives

• Reform taxation systems and carbon pricing to incentivize circular products and services.
• Provide access to investments and public procurement support for circular initiatives.
• Align financial and performance metrics with resource efficiency and low-carbon goals.

3. Harmonize and Strengthen Existing Measures

• Enhance legislative policies such as the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (ELV Directive).
• Support the Battery Regulation proposal and vehicle access regulation.
• Ensure system-wide coherence across life stages and components of the automotive value chain.

Key Policy Interventions

The report identifies five priority policy interventions that align with EU lock-in moments for policy revisions, adoptions, and introductions:

1. Expand performance assessment from tailpipe emissions to a life-cycle-based perspective.
2. Accelerate the use of circular, low-carbon materials, with a focus on metals, plastics, and battery materials.
3. Refocus circularity on higher value retention through reuse and remanufacturing.
4. Improve vehicle utilization by promoting fleet management and shared mobility.
5. Strengthen the legal and regulatory framework to support circular processes and sustainable material use.

Challenges and Barriers

The CCI highlights several barriers to automotive circularity:

Market-Related Barriers

• Consumer habits lead to inefficient vehicle use and old vehicle fleets.
• Traditional business models focus on selling cars as products, not services.
• Lack of data on vehicle material composition and poor lifecycle management.
• Inefficient utilization of vehicles (only 1.6 people per car on average).
• Fossil fuel subsidies and tax benefits for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) disincentivize circularity.

Policy-Related Barriers

• Regulatory CO₂ metrics only consider tailpipe emissions, not life-cycle impacts.
• End-of-life legislation lacks quality requirements for recycling and design for longevity.
• Taxation systems fail to reflect externalities and create imbalanced pricing.
• Mobility policy is fragmented across EU, national, regional, and local authorities.
• Social implications of the circular transition are underestimated and supportive measures are lacking.

Importance of Policy

Policy plays a critical role in driving sustainability transitions, as seen in the phase-out of coal. In the automotive sector, policy action is essential to mitigate barriers, ensure a level playing field, and support the adoption of circular practices. While the EU has made progress, it still needs to address structural and political lock-ins, as well as economic and social effects, to fully realize a resource-decoupled, low-carbon future.

Conclusion

The CCI provides a roadmap for EU policymakers to accelerate the transition to a circular automotive industry. By aligning policy with circular economy principles, the EU can reduce its carbon footprint, enhance resource efficiency, and support a sustainable, modern, and competitive economy. The initiative also aims to foster collaboration among industry leaders, regulators, and external stakeholders to drive systemic change and realize the full potential of automotive circularity.

Key Takeaways

• Automotive circularity is essential for achieving the European Green Deal and climate goals.
• Policy action is a key enabler for market transformation and systemic change.
• Five priority interventions are proposed to scale circularity in the automotive sector.
• Collaboration across the value chain and with stakeholders is vital for successful implementation.
• Circularity must be integrated into all stages of the vehicle lifecycle, including manufacturing, use, and end-of-life.