Conclusions of the SIAM Lecture Delhi of August 27th 2020

Mr. Hans Rainer Lotz spoke about VW’s ELV recycling initiatives and how they approach it.
He went in depth about the VW SiCon process and how efficient it is and how it has benefitted VW group and the environment. It was interesting to learn how VW SiCon is focused on treatment of shredder residue and how it is a market driven approach that takes into account market potentials and customer requirements for the produced material. Mr. Lotz also explained the energy balance of passenger vehicle. He further talked about the requirements and contradiction of environmental and financial targets in the development of vehicles.

Mr. Ashim Sharma, Partner & Group Head Business Performance Improvement Consulting (Auto, Engg. & Logistics) at Nomura Research Institute talked about circular vs linear economy and the ELV recycling scenario in India. He discussed the risks, opportunities and scenario for the automobile recycling sector and how it is a new sector in India that has a lot of potential.

Dr. Regina Kohlmeyer from the German Environment Agency- UBA, reviewed the model of Ecodesign for dismantling and use of recycling materials. She spoke on how European car manufacturers are approaching car design with a recycling mindset and thus try to use recyclable materials as much as possible when designing new cars. She explained the European approach to eco-efficiency in ELV treatment, the risk of environmental damage by improper ELV treatment and UBA recommendations to combat illegal ELV treatment.

Mr. Sumit Issar, managing director of Mahindra Accelo, presented the ground realities and challenges facing the ELV recycling business in India. He discussed Mahindra’s initiative and their future plans to set up recycling facilities in different locations in India. His lecture was valuable as it outlined important issues facing Indian recyclers, for ex. setting up a recycling plant is a high capital intensive project and returns can only be seen after 10 years.

Mr. Joshi Sikha, director Vikar Recycling Solutions Pvt. Ltd. discussed how disposing ELVs is a difficult and highly stressful process for the owner as the ELV sector is unorganised and outdated. He mentioned that his companies primary goal is to make the process of recycling automobiles as stress-free and transparent as possible and thus launched the service – www.scrapmyar.in to make it easy for ELV owners to sell their elv’s. He also discussed how the ELV recycling business has been for entrepreneurs and the challenges faced by new entrants into this sector.

Ms. Silvia Vecchione, Senior Environmental Policy Manager at European Automobile Manufacturers'​ Association (ACEA), spoke on how a revision of the rules on ELV management in the EU will promote more circular business models and also provide better enforcement. She explained how the current policy has benefitted all the stakeholders and was a success but a revision was required to make it more effective as the environment and legal requirements have changed. She pointed out how the European Green deal will transform Europe’s economy for a sustainable future.