A DKK 55 million EU-backed project will help Danish vehicle recyclers and SMEs develop new uses for materials and components recovered from end-of-life vehicles. Running from 2026 to 2028, the initiative aims to build circular value chains, create new commercial opportunities and support jobs linked to vehicle dismantling and resource recovery.
A new EU project, with a total budget of around DKK 55 million, aims to accelerate the green transition by bringing resources from end-of-life vehicles back into circulation. The goal is to create new circular value chains that benefit businesses, the climate and employment.
Circularity in the automotive industry has now officially launched. The project is led by Projekter imidt together with core partners including WEUPCYCL and Salling Autogenbrug.
The project will help Danish SMEs develop new circular value chain partnerships between vehicle recyclers and companies that can use the recovered resources. In this way, materials and components from end-of-life vehicles can become new products, new partnerships, and new business opportunities.
“Future competitiveness is also about making better use of the resources we already have. End-of-life vehicles contain valuable resources that can be used again, and that is good for the climate. The project will help companies turn residual materials from vehicles into new products and new business models,” says Helle Gammelgaard, Project Manager for Circularity in the Automotive Industry at Projekter imidt.
When waste becomes a business opportunity
Every year, large quantities of valuable materials and components from end-of-life vehicles are lost, even though they could be used again. One of the main challenges is that the market for separated resources remains immature, while there is also a lack of cooperation between vehicle recyclers and companies capable of using these materials in new products.
The project aims to change this. Through innovation, product development and new value chain partnerships, participating companies will develop circular business models that make it commercially attractive both to separate more resources and return them to production. The aim is for more materials from end-of-life vehicles to find a new use rather than ending up as waste.
Lise Korsgaard, Sustainability Manager, Salling Autogenbrug and Partnership and Business Developer for the project Circularity in the Automotive Industry, said:
“We already know that there are far more resources in an end-of-life vehicle than those we traditionally recover. The challenge is to make it commercially viable to separate them and find new uses for them. With this project, we can take what we have learned at Salling Autogenbrug and develop solutions together with the rest of the industry. If we succeed, materials that are considered waste today can become valuable resources tomorrow, while creating new business opportunities and green jobs.”
Companies from both the automotive sector and other industries are invited to participate if they see potential in developing or using solutions based on reused materials and components.
Green transition to create new jobs
The project is not only about the climate and new business opportunities. An important part of the initiative is also to develop social enterprise business models that can provide more opportunities for unskilled workers and people on the margins of the labour market to play a role in the green transition.
As vehicles are dismantled more thoroughly, more people will be needed to sort and prepare materials for recycling. The project therefore also aims to support the creation of new green jobs and strengthen skills in circular resource management.
Support for participating businesses
Companies participating in the project will have access to services including specialist advice and practical development programmes. The aim is to help businesses develop new circular solutions, build strong partnerships and turn sustainability into commercial opportunities.
“Denmark has strong expertise in both recycling and innovation. We are now bringing companies together to create solutions that benefit the climate while strengthening competitiveness,” says Helle Gammelgaard.
The project is now looking for both companies interested in developing new applications for materials recovered from end-of-life vehicles and vehicle recyclers that want to make their dismantling operations greener. Could these materials become part of your production processes or provide the basis for new products and business opportunities?
Facts
- Budget: DKK 55 million
- Project period: 2026–2028
- Project lead: Projekter imidt
- Core partners: WEUPCYCL, Salling Autogenbrug and others
- Circularity in the Automotive Industry is co-financed by the European Union
Core Partners
WEUPCYCL is a young company and matchmaking platform specialising in the circular economy. It focuses on finding new customers and applications for residual materials and waste streams from manufacturing companies, enabling materials that might otherwise go to waste to find new uses and create value.
Salling Autogenbrug is a core partner in the project and will provide a practical testing ground for developing and scaling greener vehicle dismantling methods. Working with the other project partners, the company will test new approaches to recovering and separating materials from end-of-life vehicles, helping to identify solutions that can be applied more widely across the vehicle recycling sector.
Read more about the project
Find out more about the project’s activities, objectives and opportunities to participate: Circularity in the Automotive Industry
Further Reading at Auto Recycling World
- EVs and Their Second-Use Market
- SUSTAINera expands access to used parts from End-of-Life Vehicles through the Ovoko Marketplace
- Envalior and SECARA collaborate to deliver circular PA6 for automotive applications in line with coming regulations
- New EU draft non-OECD list puts Europe’s metal recyclers at risk as major Asian markets face exclusion
