The EU competition authority, European Commission has imposed fines totaling approximately 458 million euros on 15 major car manufacturers and the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association ("ACEA") for participating in a long-running cartel concerning the recycling of end-of-life vehicles ("ELVs"), which lasted from 2002 to 2017.
The Commission identified that the car manufacturers and ACEA worked together to restrict competition in two key areas. First, they collectively decided not to compensate car dismantlers for processing ELVs, maintaining that the recycling process was already profitable. Second, they jointly refrained from promoting how recyclable their vehicles were or how much recycled material they used in new cars. According to the Commission, this was intended to avoid drawing consumer attention to recycling performance, which might have increased pressure on the companies to exceed minimum legal standards.
Under EU Directive 2000/53/EC, manufacturers are required to cover the cost of ELV disposal when needed and consumers must be informed about the recycling potential of new vehicles. The Commission concluded that the cartel deliberately worked against these obligations. ACEA played a central role by coordinating meetings and facilitating the exchange of sensitive commercial information among the participating undertakings.
The investigation found a single, continuous infringement across the European Economic Area, involving 16 manufacturers. While all were implicated, the Commission acknowledged that Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Renault and Suzuki had a more limited role. Mercedes-Benz, which first revealed the existence of the cartel, received full immunity and avoided the fine. Stellantis, Mitsubishi and Ford were also granted fine reductions for providing valuable evidence during the investigation. Because all parties admitted their roles, the Commission applied an additional reduction to the fines imposed.
The case was investigated in coordination with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, which issued a parallel decision based on breaches of UK competition law.
(European Commission – 01.04.2025)
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