all projects

Sustainable end-of-life vehicle recycling

Client

AUDI AG and TSR Recycling

Year

2023

Partner

14 companies from the research, recycling, and supplier sectors


A car is largely made of steel, aluminium, and polymer – valuable raw materials that can be recycled even after a vehicle has reached the end of its life.

Circular economy as the most important part of a sustainability strategy

With the launch of the “MaterialLoop – Circular End-Of-Life Vehicles” project, Audi AG aims to promote a holistic basis for its circular economy strategy. The vision is to establish: the most sustainable end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling in the automotive industry and avoid downcycling. A key success factor is close cooperation with the relevant companies along the entire recycling and supply chain.

A total of 16 companies and institutions are participating in the project. Due to the holistic ambition of the MaterialLoop project – to recycle an entire vehicle – the recycling industry plays a central role within the automotive circular economy. This is why Audi AG is working in close collaboration with TSR Recycling, one of Europe’s leading metal recycling companies.

In order to determine the current and expected potentials, challenges, and limitations of a closed loop at Audi AG, the MaterialLoop project has recycled a total of 100 internal ELVs since October 2022, with the resulting recycled raw materials being used as a basis for new components for Audi AG or Volkswagen Group vehicles. The focus is on three main material streams: steel, aluminium (cast and wrought), and polymers.

Scientific project coordination in a pilot project for end-of-life vehicle recycling

Prognos was the scientific project coordinator for Audi within the MaterialLoop project. Our work did include five priorities:

  • Creating questionnaires and data templates to track recycling chains and quantities
  • Conducting interviews and consolidating the data and information gathered
  • Creating a mass balance and deriving key KPIs
  • Evaluating of the recycling chains for individual material flows and deviating recommendations for action
  • Writing the project report

Links and downloads

Further information and a video about the project (Audi.com)

Project team: Dr Jan Trenczek, Dr Jochen Hoffmeister, Nico Dietzsch

Last update: 7.3.2023

Do you have questions?

Your contact at Prognos

Dr Jan Trenczek

Senior Project Manager, Head of Corporate Services

View profile

Dr Jochen Hoffmeister

Partner, Director

View profile

Nico Dietzsch

Consultant

View profile

Mehr Studien & Projekte zu diesem Thema

More studies & projects on this topic

Mid-term evaluation of the Single Market Programme (SMP)

2025
| Project

The Single Market Programme promotes the EU internal market in order to strengthen it, standardise it and make it more competitive. Prognos was involved in the mid-term evaluation of the programme.

Socially just transition to climate neutrality in the EU

ongoing
| Project

To facilitate the transition to a climate-neutral economy, Prognos is supporting the European Commission in implementing the European Fair Transition Observatory (EFTO).

Data for environmental policy: core economic sectors redefined

2025
| Project

Prognos developed a methodology for Eurostat for regular data collection for the European Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS).

Mid-term evaluation of the Programme Interreg Bavaria-Czech Republic 2021-2027

2025
| Project

We conducted a mid-term evaluation of the Programme Interreg Bavaria-Czech Republic 2021-2027 on behalf of the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy.

Strengthening European cohesion policy through REGIO Peer2Peer

ongoing
| Project

The Peer2Peer communities are a network of representatives from regional and national authorities in all EU Member States. Prognos recently took over the management of the Circular Economy Community.

Industrial clusters for net-zero technologies in the European Union

ongoing
| Project

As part of the Net-Zero Industry Act, we are working with our partners to conceptualise Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys for the European Commission.

Smart specialisation in Turkey's regions

ongoing
| Project

Prognos supports the CEDIS3 project. The aim is to enable national and regional stakeholders in Turkey to develop and implement viable strategies for smart specialisation.

The future of the
global economic order

2025
| Project

The current global economic order is faltering. What does this mean for Germany and the EU? We have developed various scenarios for the future global economy for the vbw.

European Union: From the fossil fuel economy to the bioeconomy

ongoing
| Project

The EU Commission commissioned Prognos, Idea Consult and the nova-Institute to research and promote the transition to a bioeconomy in the European Union.

Prognos article in the European magazine TerritoriALL

2025
| Project update

What impact do global crises have on regional labour markets? The 15th issue of TerritoriALL magazine reports on the OVERLAP project carried out by Prognos.

About us

Prognos – Providing Orientation.

Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound.

Learn more