France will strengthen the Circular Economy in its automotive aftermarket

Karlsruhe 09/08/16

Following the publication of the European “Circular Economy Package 2” directive by the European commission in December 2015, the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his Environmental Minister Ségolène Royal, have passed a law which will force automotive workshops to offer their customers the choice between spare parts from the circular economy (CE) and newly produced parts.

The only accepted reasons for workshops not to offer a CE product is lack of availability of CE parts, severe safety concerns, if there is a warranty issue with the part itself, or there are service contracts with special conditions.

The law states that CE parts are “used parts” or “parts that have been remanufactured.” Remanufacturing can be described as a “standard-exchange of components and elements which have been repaired to the specifications of the manufacturer.”

The new legislation ensures that circular economy parts are a clear option for the car user. This, in combination with attractive pricing, means consumers can now use their buying power to direct the market toward CE. Through these actions, we expect increased growth in the automotive remanufacturing business in the French market.

The new legislation will become active in early 2017.