International Automotive Recycling Congress 2023 in Geneva

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IARC2023 in Geneva

Sustainability through Innovation

Organized by ICM the International Automotive Recycling Congress 2023 (IARC) took place from 21th to 23rd June 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. The 22nd Congress was themed “Sustainability through Innovation” and brought together leading experts, industry representatives and environmentalists from around the world to discuss the current challenges and future perspectives of automotive recycling.

It was a valuable terrain for our research in the context of event ethnography because of the possibility to investigate among the experts in the sector and continue with the cross pollination of expertise approach.

Among some of the interesting quotes from the interviews:

“This conference is already an important thing because of the networking, concrete active contacts between automotive industry, recycling industry and dismantling industry. This is a vital element. The decades in front of us will see more verticalization of the automotive sector than in the past 20 years after the first directive. I believe an important role is the new LV regulation. We all hope that strict initiatives and measures will be put in place to promote a more circular industry,”

The IARC has established itself over time as a global meeting place for professionals from different countries who are trying to make the automotive industry more sustainable and find innovative solutions to the challenges of waste management.
One of participants, working long time in recycling industry, said:

“I have been in car recycling for 30 years. In my mind, car recycling is a circular system and I think cars are the best recycled product from the start. Cars have now been produced for over 120 years. Car recycling has existed since that time, spare parts and scrap materials have been reused from the beginnings, from 1900. They were reused and it wasn’t so special as it is today where the challenge is represented by the new materials like plastic and electronics. But for me, circularity in car recycling starts with the image of a shredder.”

New ideas and best practices that could help the entire industry find new opportunities were also presented during the three-day congress.

The congress program covered many topics related to automobile recycling. Participants had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of discussions, presentations and workshops on innovative recycling technologies, developing circular supply chains, promoting green practices, efficient resource management and sustainable procurement, and so on.

Among other things, for example, a new method was presented of how pollutants can be efficiently removed from old vehicles and recycled for more environmentally friendly vehicle disposal.

Various companies from all over the world were able to present their latest technologies and solutions in the exhibition hall.

Here, the congress participants had the opportunity to find out about the latest innovations such as the use of recycled materials in automobile production, the development of electric vehicles with a long service life and the efficient recycling of batteries.

In addition to the formal programme, IARC 2023 also provided ample opportunities for networking, discussions, the exchange of ideas and the formation of new business connections.

A platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation

The International Automotive Recycling Congress 2023 in Geneva undoubtedly made an important contribution to increasing the importance of automobile recycling and demonstrated the potential of innovative approaches.
As one of the participants said:

“We live in a very globalized world and trash and garbage are transported from USA to Asia, from Europe to Africa or anywhere around the world. We need to collaborate across countries and not only in one country or only in the EU. This conference let us to know more about what which companies are talking or having discussions, facing challenges in which type of field. Sharing this kind of information, what are the challenges around the industry, helps a lot in a collaborative effort to face these challenges. Let’s not forget that the automotive is one of the biggest industries in the world.”

IARC also acted as a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious automotive industry. It is now up to the participants and the industry itself to translate the knowledge gained into concrete actions to enable a sustainable future.

A couple of considerations on our research:

Held for the 22nd time, the IARC brought together several hundred experts, decision makers and environmentalists to report on the latest technology developments and look for new ways and ideas in automotive recycling. The congress took place in lecture form. However, there was a small exhibition hall with the stands of various companies in which the breaks between the lectures and discussions were held.

I was then able to interview a total of 32 people, most of whom used the breaks to network or initiate new business connections. Everyone knew what the term circular economy meant, although a few interviewees had difficulty putting it in their own words. The audience was very international.
The transcripts are in the working part of the forum.

[inge]

ping @ivan

“The decades ahead of us will see more verticalization of the automotive sector than in the past 20 years”
Read about the insights Edgeryders collected for Treasure at the International Automotive Recycling Congress 2023 in Geneva

From knowledge sharing and innovation towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious automotive industry, the International Automotive Recycling Congress 2023 (IARC), from June 21st to 23rd June, 2023, brought together several hundred experts, decision-makers and environmentalists to report on the latest technology developments and look for new ways and ideas in automotive recycling.

During the event, organized by ICM AG, the international leader in circular economy congress organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, Edgeryders conducted Semantic Social Network Analysis (SSNA) research among the participants as part of the TREASURE consortium, researching the transition of the European automotive supply chain towards a circular future.

Edgeryders interviewed 32 people, all of whom said they were familiar with the term circular economy, although a few interviewees had difficulty putting it in their own words.

A participant who has been active in automotive recycling for over 30 years said he believes “car recycling is a circular system, and I think cars are the best recycled product from the start.”

The IARC, a global meeting place for professionals working on a sustainable automotive industry, proved valuable in the context of event ethnography due to the variety of sector experts, which allowed the continuation of the cross-pollination of expertise approach.

From expertise in waste management to legal frameworks, innovative recycling technologies, developing circular supply chains, promoting green practices, efficient resource management, and sustainable procurement, participants shared their thoughts with Edgeryders on how to move ahead with creating an automotive circular economy through their lenses.

“We live in a very globalized world, and trash and garbage are transported from the USA to Asia, from Europe to Africa, or anywhere around the world,” one of the participants mentioned, adding that there is a need to collaborate across countries beyond within one country or within in the EU.

Other participants voiced sparks of hope through legal frameworks. “The decades ahead of us will see more verticalization of the automotive sector than in the past 20 years,” one person shared. They especially believed that the new LV regulation would play an important role. “We all hope that strict initiatives and measures will be put in place to promote a more circular industry,”

Some remarked how recycling has always been an integral part of the automotive industry but that new materials are what pose a challenge. “Cars have now been produced for over 120 years. Car recycling has existed since that time. Spare parts and scrap materials have been reused from the beginning, from 1900. They were reused, and it wasn’t as special as it is today, where the challenge is represented by new materials like plastic and electronics. But for me, circularity in car recycling starts with the image of a shredder.”

The IARC in Geneva undoubtedly contributed to increasing the importance of automobile recycling and demonstrated the potential of innovative approaches, with companies from all over the world presenting their latest technologies and solutions in the exhibition hall. This included a new method to efficiently remove and recycle pollutants from old vehicles for more environmentally friendly vehicle disposal. Or the use of recycled materials in automobile production, the development of electric cars with a long service life, and efficient recycling of batteries.

One participant shared with Edgeryders how the conference helped them better understand which were tackling which circular economy facets or the challenges faced in different fields. “Sharing this kind of information, what are the challenges around the industry, helps a lot in a collaborative effort to face these challenges,” they said.