The environmental benefits of green recycled parts in Ontario

Rationale

With growing concern over the impact of vehicles on the climate, there has been an increased focus on reducing the carbon impact of the automotive industry as a response to climate change. The main attention has been given to shifting from fossil-fuel powered internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). Many studies have shown that operating EVs produce fewer emissions than ICE vehicles. Recent research has also shown the difference in emissions over a vehicle's lifecycle, including manufacturing, use, and disposal, between EVs and ICE vehicles.

However, the same level of investigation hasn't been applied to the goods and services related to motor vehicles once they are placed in the market. This includes the post-dealership servicing of vehicles, where a large volume of components, parts, and consumables for vehicles are traded. This market is referred to as the auto parts industry in this report for simplification.

The two key aims of this study were to:

• show the potential environmental impacts of using green recycled parts instead of new parts for replacement in vehicle repairs in Ontario.

• identify potential actions that different market actors can take to support the growth of green recycled parts in Ontario.

Key findings

By summing the impact for each of the top 13 parts, we can calculate that the environmental impact of using green recycled parts in Ontario is approximately 310 kt CO2e avoided and 47 kt diverted from end-of-life treatment.

The green recycled parts market in Ontario diverts significant volumes of parts from end-of-life treatment, extending the life of these components, and avoiding significant emissions* of greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing new parts.

There are actions that can be taken to close gaps and build upon drivers fro growth of the green recycled parts market in Ontario which cover data, awareness, demand, policy, trust and regulation.