End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling in the Context of the Circular Economy

Abstract

This paper synthesises, from an industrial engineering management perspective, the recycling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) within the European transition towards a circular economy. The study integrates three levels of analysis: the theoretical foundations of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) under ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, the European and Romanian legal and institutional framework built around Directive 2000/53/EC and its national transposition and an applied case study carried out at an authorised ELV collection and treatment centre in Romania, where the complete technological flow — reception, de-pollution, dismantling, sorting and recovery — is analysed for a representative vehicle (Volkswagen Golf IV). The results show that a properly organised treatment centre can reach recovery rates above 90%, approaching the EU target of 95% set by Directive 2000/53/EC. The application of quality-management tools allows critical points of the technological flow to be identified and corrective measures to be substantiated, leading to reduced hazardous-liquid losses, improved traceability of reusable parts, and shorter average vehicle processing time. The paper also offers a comparative view of emerging challenges — automotive shredder residue (ASR) and electricvehicle battery recycling and puts forward recommendations for digitalising traceability and optimising sorting processes.