Circular Economy
Working toward a circular materials economy by promoting collaboration to incorporate sustainable practices and materials in the production and content of vehicles.
Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) is working to support automotive industry goals around accelerating the transition to a more circular economy, one where materials are thoughtfully designed, responsibly sourced, reused, and recovered across their lifecycle. Through collaboration among automakers, suppliers, and key partners, SP members are working to identify new opportunities to reduce waste, extend material value, and close resource loops.
SP’s Sustainable Materials Work Group provides a forum for members to collaborate on advancing sustainable material strategies, such as increasing the use of recycled and renewable content, while also exploring downstream circularity opportunities and material content reporting processes.
In parallel, SP’s Sustainable Packaging Work Group works minimize automotive packaging waste and address barriers to packaging recyclability / reuse across automotive operations.
And, SP’s Responsible Battery Work Group provides a forum for automakers and suppliers to work together to advance responsible management of advanced vehicle batteries.
Through these complementary initiatives, SP provides a space for companies to discuss challenges and opportunities in striving toward circularity, identify and pilot practical solutions, and co-develop tools that help to enable meaningful progress toward a more sustainable and circular future.
Featured Resources
Waste Metrics for Automotive Operations
Commons definitions and approaches for measuring and reporting on the management of waste.
Sustainable Packaging Specification Recommendations
Practical recommendations to source sustainable packaging designs for use in automotive manufacturing operations.
Automotive Packaging Materials Collection & Handling Practices
Voluntary guidelines for sorting, storing, transporting, and recovering packaging materials.
EV Battery Safe Handling Guidance
Summarizes available resources, options and considerations related to handling of EV batteries after their removal from a vehicle.
EV Battery Transportation Guidance
Summary of regulations and requirements for stakeholders handling an EV battery at the end of its useful life.
Recycled Content Guidance
Industry-supported definition and straightforward approach for measuring recycled content of automotive products.
Automotive Plastics Circularity Study
Guidance document to support programs for managing plastic packaging in the automotive supply chain.
EV Battery Management Infographics
Infographics to visually inform battery holders of good practices to consider in preparing EV batteries for transportation.
Renewable Content Guidance
Industry-supported definition and straightforward approach for measuring renewable content of automotive products.
