This week, the European Parliament voted in plenary on the report for the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR). The adopted text mirrors the compromise reached earlier this year in the Parliament’s committees.
Glass for Europe welcomes the report’s listing of windshields, rear, and side windows made of glass among the components that must be removed from end-of-life vehicles. The requirement for the removed glass parts to be recycled into glass is also a crucial step to enable more flat glass recycling.
Today, we still see uncertainties surrounding the report’s provisions allowing exemptions from dismantling obligations; the Secretariat of Glass for Europe has already engaged in discussions on this issue with stakeholders to obtain unambiguous provisions in the final text. Although several steps remain, this vote marks a significant milestone, bringing the ELVR closer to ensuring robust dismantling and recycling requirements for end-of-life automotive glass in the EU.
As previously highlighted, such provisions could cut tens of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ annually in the EU. With current recycling rates for automotive glass below 10%, the ELVR presents a unique opportunity to transform waste into a valuable resource, supporting the circular economy and reducing the sector’s environmental footprint.
The EU Parliament, the Council of the EU, and the EU Commission will now enter interinstitutional negotiations to finalise the ELVR text. Glass for Europe will continue to advocate for clear and ambitious glass dismantling and recycling obligations during these negotiations.
For more information on this topic, you can check our position papers and joint statements:
- Joint statement on reuse and recycling from end-of-life vehicles
- Joint Statement on the Commission’s End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation Proposal
- Dismantling automotive glass is a mandatory step to increase the recycling of end-of-life vehicles
- A revised End-of-life Vehicles Directive that supports greater recycling of automotive glazing
