By Caryn Smith
The automotive recycling industry has always been defined by resilience, ingenuity, and a willingness to adapt. In this issue, those qualities are on full display—
from the halls of government to shop floors around the world, and from groundbreaking initiatives to the everyday work that keeps our industry moving forward.
Advocacy remains one of the most important forces shaping the future of automotive recycling. As Slater Shroyer reports in Standing Up for the Industry, page 22, the ARA Government Affairs Committee continues to monitor and engage with regulatory developments that could impact recyclers’ ability to do business. Their work, driven by dedicated volunteers who understand the realities of the day-to-day, ensures that policymakers hear the voice of automotive recyclers when decisions are being made.
This effort is on display at the annual Hill Days, May 19-21. Sign up today to be a part of this important industry work at www.a-r-a.org.
In Automotive Recycling Around the World, page 25, industry developments in Korea, the United Kingdom, and Canada remind us that the challenges and opportunities facing recyclers extend far beyond our own borders.
Closer to home, success often comes down to disciplined operations and a commitment to doing things right the first time. As you can read on page 30, I spoke with Mark Forcum, owner of U-Pull-It Auto Parts in Pasco, Washington. His facility is the 2025 Certified Automotive Recycler (CAR) of the Year. Their dedication to best-practices has helped them build a stellar three-location business in short order that is both efficient and respected across the industry, and well-positioned for the coming of the EV marketplace.
Innovation is also advancing how recyclers approach materials recovery. On page 35, Stacey Phillips Ronak explores ARA’s alignment with Plasnomic’s global initiative to develop standardized plastic repair methods—an effort that reflects the industry’s commitment to sustainability and smarter resource use.
This comes just as the EU publishes provisional end-of-life vehicle regulations as part of its overall plastics recycling initiatives. While the regulations cover the chemical recycling process specifically across the pond, it identifies minimums for recycled plastic content to include end-of-life vehicle plastics. It is only a matter of time before these types of provisions make their way to North America. The new provisions state that the “revised” minimum of end-of-life vehicle recycled content requirements are as follows: Phased in over a 10-year period, a minimum 15% recycled content required six years after entry into force of the regulation; and a minimum 25% recycled content required 10 years after entry into force of the regulation; and further, at least 20% of these recycled content targets will need to be sourced from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). This equates to 3% recycled content sourced from ELVs after six years, and 5% recycled content sourced from ELVs after 10 years. The mandates will apply to passenger cars, light commercial vans, regular heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles, and special purpose vehicles, with the exception of small-volume manufacturers of heavy-duty special purpose vehicles.
Finally, on page 40, automotive recyclers are investing in the future through new facilities and expanded operations, as seen by their photo submissions of recent efforts.
Together, these stories reflect an industry that is not standing still—but building forward.
