SHiFT Vehicle Retirement Initiative™, is the first national vehicle retirement program focused primarily on carbon emissions and environmental health in the United States. Leaders at SHiFT are determined to do things differently than have been done in the past; quite simply, SHiFT is putting the environment first.
In partnership with the Automotive Recyclers’ Association (ARA), SHiFT connects an expansive network of recyclers across the country that are committed to recycling SHiFT vehicles in a way that achieves the best environmental outcome possible for our planet. ARA’s CAR program has long set the highest standards for professional auto recyclers, both in terms of safety and the environment, and now SHiFT has pushed protocols one step further. To participate in SHiFT, recyclers will sign affidavits and agree to retire and recycle the carbon emitting internal combustion engines (ICE) acquired through the program. This means the engine cannot be sold whole to be put into another car, thereby removing any future carbon emissions from that whole engine – but unlike Cash 4 Clunkers, recyclers can still profit off of the recycled engine components.
Participating SHiFT partners pick up the vehicle, manage hazardous material, harvest and recondition recyclable parts, and prepare the vehicle hulk for further recycling. It should be noted that the engine, though retired as a whole unit, can be disassembled for parts harvesting in order to get the most use out of already manufactured products. The aim of the SHiFT operation is to provide a more instantaneous measure for emissions reductions as the transportation industry works toward a more sustainable future.
Keeping the burden within our borders: reducing the downstream of EOL vehicles
While the team at SHiFT knows the transition to EVs will be a multi-year process, recent policy changes and investments make it clear this is the path forward for the automotive industry. SHiFT aims to keep auto-recyclers at the forefront of the environmental narrative and continue to solidify their critical role in the life cycle of vehicles.
How does retiring an engine reduce emissions? In addition to the measurable reduction in emissions from simply no longer being driven, there is also a particular importance to removing older, higher mileage vehicles from roadways. Typically, a vehicle’s amount of in-use emissions often correlates to the age of the vehicle. In other words, the highest emitting vehicles are often the oldest. This trend can be attributed to the auto industry’s seemingly ever-increasing advancements in fuel efficiency, which is said to increase anywhere from 1.8 to 3% per year depending on vehicle type.
By reducing the number of harmful engines that make it back on the road, recyclers are also freeing up parts for re-use that wouldn’t otherwise be available. This type of emissions reduction has been categorized as reduced vehicle supply-chain emissions and includes the energy saved from re-manufacturing a part instead of manufacturing it new.
Beyond its material effects, SHiFT wants to help change the way people think about recycling their vehicle. In order to recycle a car in the most environmentally sustainable way possible, owners must be willing to take a smaller tax write-off (the car is worth less if the engine cannot be resold whole); it is this climate-first decision-making that SHiFT aims to inspire in consumers.
ARTI and SHiFT: A powerful recycling partnership
Joseph Hearn, president and CEO of Advanced Remarketing Services (ARS), is not new to this space but he certainly aims to transform it. For the past 17 years, ARS has been committed to creating and managing the technical components necessary for organizations to intake cars and get them to recyclers. SHiFT, powered by ARS, was born to do even more.
“Knowledge is at the forefront of everything that ARS does and that is why we have partnered with the Automotive Recycling Training Institute [ARTI],” says Hearn. “Together, we are providing recyclers’ with the know-how to successfully fulfill SHiFT’s rigorous environmental standards. The automobile is the most heavily recycled consumer product in the U.S., and your local auto recycling operation is a key contributor to protecting the planet for future generations and too often overlooked.”
For more information on the SHiFT program, visit https://shift4tomorrow.org
