Effective and responsible car recycling across the world is vital to the future of the car industry, a collection of green automotive bodies have stressed.
Ahead of the annual Global Car Recycling Day on June 20, British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), CarTakeBack Scrap Car Recycling, Clearway Metal Recycling, BVSF, Copart, The Green Parts Specialist, Ecobat, Renault Group and Vehicle Recyclers’ Association have issued a call for sustainable car production.
The group are also campaigning for the public and manufacturers to be more aware of the importance of sustainable car production.
It said: “Our organisations are all involved in different stages of a car’s life – from conception to end-of-life vehicle recycling – and have very different operations and priorities.”
“But we are all aligned in our belief that the future of the entire car industry can only be successful and sustainable, with effective and responsible car recycling taking place across the globe.
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“Outside of the countries that have strict environmental regulations, at the end of a vehicle’s life, the right choices are not always clear or indeed available to the public.
“It’s going to take everyone, from public demand, car industry innovation and investment, to support from governments, to drive the improvement of car recycling regulations.
“We are supporting Global Car Recycling Day, hoping to spread awareness, so the public makes, and has the option to make, an environmentally responsible choice when their vehicle gets to the end of its life, wherever they are in the world.”
The group pointed out that many members of the public are still “unaware” that cars can be effectively recycled.
It added there are countries which have insufficient infrastructure and a lack of regulations to ensure car recycling is carried out “safely and effectively”.
Earlier this year, car adverts from BMW and MG were banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading claims about being “zero emissions”.