Component reuse in the automotive sector: state of the art in Italy and a critical analysis on how to communicate its sustainability potential

The automotive sector is one of the most resource-intensive industries, employing vast amounts of steel, plastics, rubber, aluminium, copper, and other Strategic (SRM) and Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) in car production. At the same time, it contributes to Climate Change with high greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire vehicle life cycle. Particularly, end-of-life vehicles (ELV) are still not optimally managed, missing some key opportunities that could be realized in this stage. Traditionally, ELV treatments have focused on material recycling; however, the reuse of car components is indicated as an environmentally superior option in the Circular Economy hierarchy. It could indeed prevent the extraction of new materials, reduce waste, and maintain the original value of components, thereby extending their lifespan. This is even more critical in Italy, where raw materials are typically scarce. The benefits of this practice remain largely underexplored, mainly due to insufficient data on reusable components. The practice is further hampered by the continuous uncertainty that demolition centres face due to regional regulatory inconsistencies and fragmentation. Against this backdrop, this thesis work pursues the following objectives: (1) to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of ELV management industry, with a particular focus on the Italian context and the evolving legislative framework; (2) to analyse a specific case study on car component reuse in the Italian market, based on the project EVOLVE by Ecoeuro s.r.l.; this project represents an innovative effort to combine digitalisation, data integration and circular economy principles to improve process and material efficiency and traceability; the case study describes the project’s approach to comply with the emerging requirements of the sector; and (3) to present a critical analysis on the environmental potential of component reuse, focusing on how to leverage and communicate sustainability effectively based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, highlighting the risks of greenwashing and the strategies to mitigate them. Ultimately, a preliminary exploration of carbon markets and the possible interactions with the case of component reuse is provided.