Circular economy a topic at International Automobile Recycling Congress

More than 200 professionals from 24 countries attended the International Automobile Recycling Congress (IARC) March 20-22 in Vienna, Austria.

According to an IARC news release, an area of focus was how the pressure to cut carbon emissions is driving the development of lightweight design and electric vehicles (EV), but is posing major challenges for the recycling industry, particularly when it comes to finding ways to recycle new types of composite materials. However, opportunities are also emerging from this development, as the overarching aim of reducing carbon emissions is "increasingly shining a spotlight on the recycling industry."

In his keynote speech titled "Mobility's Circular Economy Potential" and panel discussion "Opportunities of the Circular Economy,” McKinsey & Company, New York, consultant Patrick Schaufuss reiterated the importance for the manufacturing industry to consider designs that are suitable for the circular economy.

Jean-Denis Curt presented on Renault’s circular ecosystem and the closed recycling loops it has introduced. Niklas Kilberg from the Volvo Car Corporation spoke about the measures the Swedish car company has taken to promote sustainability and presented Volvo's strategy for handling plastics.

Another focus was the latest technological developments in sorting and classifying scrap metal. Lorenzo Bacchetti of Italy-based Danieli Centro Cranes introduced the “automatic scrap yard,” where scrap is classified with the help of artificial intelligence. The technical lectures were accompanied by country reports from Argentina, Germany and India, which pointed out the challenges that individual countries are facing in the field of automobile recycling.

A total of 24 presentations were held during the conference coupled with plant tours of Scholz Austria Group and voestalpine Stahlwelt. The conference will be held March 11-13, 2020 in Geneva, Switzerland to coincide with the Geneva International Motor Show.