Driving circularity

From regulatory pressure to resource sovereignty. Put your supply chain in the fast lane — with circular systems instead of one-way streets.
automative-black-car-lights
Luftaufnahme eines Recyclinghofs mit einem großen Haufen Alufelgen und Bergen aus Metallschrott

Reduce complexity. Secure value.

The automotive industry is being reshaped. Regulatory requirements such as the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the ELV Directive, and the EU Battery Regulation are making circularity an operational requirement.

At the same time, major potential remains unused. In 2023 alone, passenger car production processed around 10 million tonnes of materials, mainly steel, aluminum, and plastics. That makes the mobility sector one of Germany’s highest-volume industrial material flow segments.

Yet despite established dismantling structures, more than 85% of the recoverable volume from permanently decommissioned vehicles is lost through export. Value that should be brought back into the cycle.

Dependence on primary raw materials remains a growing business risk, especially as Germany relies on imports for more than 99% of key materials such as lithium and rare earths. That is why resource sovereignty is the only solid foundation for planning security and competitiveness.

We help you reduce this complexity and gradually turn challenges into operational advantages.

Our milestones on the Road to Circularity

Instead of waiting for the future, we are building it now. Here is how we are setting benchmarks on the Road to Circularity, and where the journey leads.

Ready now: What we are already delivering

Battery recycling

In Meppen, we operate one of Europe's largest facilities for lithium-ion batteries, where we recover up to 98% of the black mass and make critical raw materials such as lithium available again, contributing to a long-term reduction in import dependence of up to 10–15%. 

Circular Materials

Steel and aluminum already achieve high recycling rates, but fewer than 20% of plastics from end-of-life vehicles are recycled today. That is a structural gap with major potential.

Through our exclusive access to large volumes of post-consumer recyclates (PCR), you benefit from stable prices and a secure supply of raw materials. Secondary materials also make economic sense beyond circularity. Recyclates can drastically reduce production energy demand — for aluminum, for example, by up to 95% compared with primary material.

Next level: The End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Hub

As part of our Road to Circularity, we are developing an ELV Hub together with our partners. The goal is to systematically return material flows from end-of-life vehicles to industrial use, unlocking additional potential and reducing CO₂ emissions across the entire value chain. What this means in practice:

Co-creation & knowledge transfer

We combine our expertise in material flows with our partners’ Design for Recycling know-how.

Together, we develop scalable solutions for the European automotive industry that reduce material losses and create reprocessing savings of up to 85–88% compared with new parts.

Reuse and remanufacturing make a measurable contribution here:

According to a BDI/BCG forecast, the industry-wide potential is up to 1.3 million tonnes of CO₂e savings per year. We help you make your share of that potential measurable.

Standardization

We develop consistent approaches that make processes more efficient and scalable across sites.

Compliance

We build structures that support transparent and traceable compliance with regulatory requirements under the ELV Regulation and EPR.

Resilience

We help stabilize supply chains and reduce dependence on primary raw materials. 

Higher recycling volumes could lower the import share of rare earths by 20–50% and save an additional 2.3 to 3.0 million tonnes of CO₂e per year.

Transparency

We establish digital solutions that make material flows traceable and create a solid foundation of reliable data.

Abstrakte Grafik aus konzentrischen, hellblauen Kreislinien, die eine dynamische Rotation andeuten

An ecosystem that sets the standard.

Circularity does not work through isolated solutions. It requires systems that function across the full value chain.

As part of the Schwarz Group, we combine waste management expertise with the scale of a global retail and logistics network.

For you, that means that instead of just talking about circular systems, we have the infrastructure to scale them across Europe for the automotive industry.

Let's shape your Road to Circularity together.

From material use to end-of-life management, benefit from our expertise to strengthen your competitive position.

Circularity is not a standalone environmental project. It is an integral part of your value chain, from the molecular properties of materials to the complex recycling ecosystem around batteries.

Book an expert consultation now

Source: All figures cited are taken from the 2026 BCG and BDI study "Growth, Competitiveness and Resilience — Opportunities of the Circular Economy for German Industry."