Renault is committed to organizing recycling channels
From design to the recycling of end-of-life vehicles
Eco-design is a structurally organized policy that consists in reducing the environmental impact of vehicles from the design phase through to end of life. Alongside its work on reducing the impact of its production, pollutant emissions, greenhouse gas emissions and noise, Renault has been committed for several years to designing vehicles which are 95% recyclable by mass.
When the European Directive of 18 September 2000 came into force, Renault worked with all the relevant actors to set up treatment processes for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) to cut down on automotive landfill waste while increasing parts re-use and materials recycling.
Eco-design for recycling
Renault's eco-design policy systematically places environmental protection at the heart of vehicle and powertrain component design. Renault designers and suppliers are involved in projects that reduce the environmental impacts of vehicles throughout their life cycle. Renault also designs vehicle components with a triple objective in mind: improving recyclability at end of life, controlling substances contained in the materials used, and incorporating recycled materials. This approach has enabled Renault to develop vehicles that are 95% recyclable by mass, starting with Mégane II in 2002.
The Modus dashboard perfectly sums up Renault's systematic approach. It contains 4kg of recycled material, one-half its total weight, which is more than is found in any other plastic component in the automobile industry. Renault's Vehicle Engineering Department and parts manufacturer Visteon designed the component with help from recycling firm C2P in developing the special recycled material. Overall, Modus contains nearly 18 kg of recycled plastic in various parts of the vehicle, such as the wheel arch shields, the under-engine skidplate, the rear suspension fairings and the spare wheel. The excellent recyclability of the Modus dashboard was achieved through the use of materials such as polypropylene, for which reliable, highcapacity recycling facilities are available. In designing the dashboard, Renault and Visteon also made an effort to employ homogeneous materials (i.e. from the same chemical family) to simplify sorting and reuse as raw materials. Each part includes a written indication of the materials that went into making it. Renault won an award in 2005 from the French Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development for the eco-design of the Modus dashboard.
Renault also factors in recycling as early as the design phase by:
- making it easier to dismantle parts such as batteries and possible to drain the various fluid tanks (brake fluid, wiper fluid, etc.) completely and quickly
- favoring parts, e.g. bumpers, made of homogeneous or mutually-compatible materials and selecting materials with greater recycling potential
- compiling all the documentation necessary for dismantlers and shredders and providing it to them free on the CD-ROM of the European consortium, IDIS (identifying removal parts, makeup of materials, recommended tools)
- setting up "Customer Service Leaders" on recycling to help designers meet recyclability goals
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