TORINO – It will not only serve to recover raw materials, to extend the life of products, which will be conceived and designed in a different way, and to create a new market for second-hand parts and cars. The business unit dedicated to the circular economy that Stellantis created with the “Dare Forward 2030” plan will produce a cut in energy consumption, estimated at 50%, and a reduction in the use of raw materials by 80%. All while producing a turnover of 2 billion euros by 2030. It is a system that will change the way industry and production are done, minimizing waste. The goal of the green strategy is to keep in circulation, extending its life or recycling, what has arrived at the end of its life, eliminating the very concept of end of life.
The senior vice-president with responsibility for the circular economy Alison Jones underlines that “our commitment is to build a sustainable business capable of generating profits and to make electric cars more accessible at the price level, one of the great challenges of the transition”. The number one of the business unit explains what the circular economy in the automotive sector is: “Instead of disposing of something when it breaks or has reached the end of its useful life, the idea is to repair it or have someone take the materials. that make it up and reuse them for something else. The circular economy approach can therefore start already in the design phase. When you design a product or service, you think about how to make it last as long as possible, through repair or duration, but also how much recycled material can be taken and included in the project “. Activity that has already produced results. If in 2030 the goal is 2 billion, in 2021 “our revenues were equal to more than half a billion euros”. 95% of the turnover per hour is for remanufacturing.
The strategy is based on “4Rs”: rework, repair, reuse and recycle. One of the cornerstones of the integrated system is in Italy: in 2023 the European hub will make its debut in the plant in Mirafiori which will serve other countries in Europe, such as Spain. In Turin, the vehicles will be dismantled, parts and materials will be recovered, as well as regenerating those that can have a new life. All this will allow to build a new induced, generating innovation: “The plan for the circular economy provides for a shortening of logistics and greater involvement of local partners – explains Jones – we expect that also in Turin they can use their skills to help us in this new process. collaboration with the Politecnico will also serve as a stimulus for this to happen “. Hub that will have other terminals at European level and in individual countries.
Today the division produces nearly 12,000 parts covering 40 product lines, including batteries for electric vehicles. Worn parts are repaired and reinstalled in customers’ vehicles. About 4.5 million multi-brand parts in inventory, still in good condition, are recovered from end-of-life vehicles and sold in 155 countries through the B-Parts e-commerce platform. Production waste and end-of-life vehicles are fed back into the production process. In just six months, the business unit collected 1 million recycled parts. There are already examples of the use of recycled materials in Stellantis. The Fiat 500 E and the Panda Hybrid Lounge Edition use the Seaqual which comes from recycled plastic from the sea and land. And then the Citroen Oli, the prototype of the electric SUV, light and economical, but above all designed to be recycled later. In the future there will be an ad hoc brand of the Italian-French group born in January 2021: the “SUSTAINera” label for parts and accessories. Logo that indicates savings of up to 80% in materials and 50% in energy compared to the production of equivalent new parts.