Designing and manufacturing the over 30,000 parts, components and systems that make up a vehicle,
automotive suppliers are a principal driving force for innovation in the European Union. Investing over €30bn
yearly in research and development (R&D), suppliers have become the single, biggest R&D private investor
in the EU. Over the past decades, a considerable part of these investments has been dedicated to increasing
sustainability in the automotive sector. In line with the overlying European Green Deal targets, and evolving
customer demands and expectations, suppliers are increasingly investing in Circularity strategies, developing
a new approach to product design and manufacturing.
This report presents the automotive suppliers‘ vision for the circularity research and innovation needs of the industry, including an overview of the emerging challenges related to the growing role of circular economy in the automotive supply chain.
The establishment of the right legislation framework and collaboration across the ecosystem as well as support for Research & Innovation (R&I) and the competitive scaling of innovative solutions are essential components for achieving success.
