Feature

Vehicle Recycling

End-of-Life Vehicle Recovery in China: Consideration and Innovation following the EU ELV Directive
Ming Chen and Fan Zhang
Implementation of the EUs endof-life vehicle (ELV) directive eight years ago had a profound inuence on Chinas automotive industry, leading to the consideration of concepts such as extended producer responsibility. It also provided some impetus for ELV recycling industry developments within China. This article provides insight into current thinking within China about ELV recycling as well as vehicle recovery activities. INTRODUCTION About 43 million vehicles were on the roads of China by the end of 2007, with production and imports increasing at a rapid rate. An estimated three to six million vehicles should have reached the end of their useful lives in the previous year but 2006 data reveal that only 380,000 were dismantled. Upwards of 5 million vehicles in China will be reaching the end of their useful lives by 2010, according to the latest estimates. A gure of this magnitude represents both a challenge and an opportunity for Chinas end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling industry. Implementation of the EUs ELV directive eight years ago had a profound inuence on Chinas automotive industry, leading to the consideration of concepts such as extended producer responsibility as well as sustainable manufacturing and sustainable consumption. It also provided some impetus for ELV recycling industry developments within China. The developing legislation and specication system on ELVs could be regarded as response actions of China toward EU ELV directives, from national law to specications. It is expected that a register of recoverability and use of restricted/banned substances in new auVol. 61 No. 3 JOM

tomotive products will be launched in early 2009. By the following year, it is estimated, all new automotive products sold in China will be forced to abide by How would you
describe the overall signicance of this paper? About 43 million vehicles were on the roads of China by the end of 2007 with production and imports increasing at a rapid rate. Upwards of 5 million vehicles in China will be reaching the end of their useful lives by the year 2010, according to the latest estimates. This represents a challenge and an opportunity for the countrys end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling industry. describe this work to a materials science and engineering professional with no experience in your technical specialty? This article provides an insight into current thinking within China about ELV recycling. Included in the discussion are vehicle recovery activities such as management systems for recoverability and banned/restricted substances of automotive products, innovation in parts remanufacturing, nongovernmental organization handling ELV recovery, and vehicle-recoveryrelated science and technology collaboration in Eastern Asia. describe this work to a layperson? End-of-life vehicle recovery activities in China have achieved signicant progress, especially after a broad investigation and discussion of the EU ELV Directive in 20062007. There is emerging emphasis in China on sustainable ELV recovery through extended producer responsibility and recovery in the whole life cycle of products. This paper reports the progress of ELV recovery activities in China today, and explores current thinking and innovation inspired by the EU ELV directive.

certain quotas relating to recoverability and use of restricted substances. However, Chinas ELV recovery industry is still facing some signicant issues, not least of which is the fact that improper disposal of hazardous substances and a lack of environmental protection measures are common in vehicle dismantling operations. Given Chinas abundant labor resources, large-scale automated recycling is deemed unsuitable whereas used parts remanufacturing provides development opportunities for Chinas ELV recycling industry. However, the transition of the business model from scrap steel sales to remanufacturing represents a real challenge because it is unrealistic to establish a nationwide automotive parts remanufacturing and reverse logistics system relying solely on dismantling enterprises. This article provides an insight into current thinking and activities of vehicle recovery within China. BACKGROUND China has become the third largest country for auto production and the second largest for auto consumption. In 2007, the auto output in China was 8,887,000 vehicles, an increase of 22.1% over the previous year. By the end of 2007, the volume of inuse vehicles was 43 million in China. Production and import volumes were increasing rapidly (see Figures 1, 2, and 3). Based on their life times, by the end of 2006, about 3.0~6.0 million should have reached the end of life. However, data from 2006 shows that only 0.38 million in total were dismantled in China (Table I), equal to about 1% of the in-use volume of 2006. The common length of use for passenger vehicles except for taxi cabs
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is 15~20 years, and for private use passenger vehicles, there is no limit. For commercial vehicles, the common use period is 15 years except for mini-commercial vehicles (Table II). Due to the rapid development in China in 2010 the estimated volume of in-use vehicles is 55 million and ELVs, 4.8 million. The facts illustrate the promising future of the ELV recycling industry in China. ELV Take-Back and Treatment in China There are about 356 qualied ELV dismantlers approved by the state administrative department, and more than 800 take-back stations in cities all over China. In all, 16,000 people are employed in the industry, which has a dismantling capacity of 1.2 million vehicles per year. Auto recycling provides more than 200 million tons of scrap steel, 50,000 tons of non-ferrous metals, and a large amount of waste rubber and plastic each year. Experience has shown that China can manage the ELV dismantler administrative qualication system and control the number of enterprises. The national system not only provides governmental supervision and administration, but also encourages ELV dismantlers toward economic efciency and technology innovation. However, the Chinese ELV treatment industry still faces signicant issues. First, the existing policy, regulation, and technical specications system is not t for the development of the ELV treatment industry. For example, Decree No. 307 of the State Council Management Measures on Take-back of Scrapped Automobiles requires that the ve supervised assemblies of vehicle including engine, power transmission box, steering, axle, and chassis should be destroyed and recycled as metal materials. This decree is contradictory to the requirement for developTable I. Number of End-of-Life Vehicles in China (20022006)
Year Total 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 414,543 956,797 541,539 562,025 380,560 Passenger Vehicles Trucks Others 207,420 344,453 325,243 287,529 224,561 195,524 586,816 203,830 263,659 147,646 11,599 25,528 12,466 10,837 8,353

ing used-parts remanufacturing. Another problem is that in the manual dismantling processes, improper disposal of hazardous substances is common. For example, mainly for scrap metal dismantling, it is common to use an oxygen-torch cutting process in an open dismantling yard. In addition, the dismantlers often do not have sufcient specialized tools and equipment, such as for waste liquid collecting, ELV dismantling, material sorting, and shredding facilities. Hazardous substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and other heavy metals usually are improperly treated as common waste, causing heavy metal

pollution. Finally, the industry does not have sufcient environmental protection measures, such as those requiring separate collection and treatment facilities for waste liquids; oil and water separation facilities; and ground seepage control measures. The result is severe secondary pollution from the manual dismantling facilities. Also, the reuse and remanufacturing of parts is not popular. Although the used parts can be sold by dismantlers, the sales of ve supervised assemblies of vehicle are prohibited. The circulation of used auto parts in China is underdeveloped because of the absence of related policies and regulations and the

Figure 1. The volume of in-use vehicles in China (1991~2007).

Figure 2. The volume of auto production in China (1991~ 2007).

Figure 3. The volume of auto imports in China (1991~ 2006).

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cheap price of new parts. The extended producer responsibility (EPR) of vehicle manufacturers is not clear and there is insufcient communication between auto manufacturers, dismantlers, and other stakeholders. Sustainable Manufacturing in China The 1.3 billionth citizen of China was born in Beijing on January 6, 2005. Although the babys birth came ten years after Chinas 1.2 billionth cit-

izen and four years later than experts predictions, the huge population and consequent natural resource scarcity, energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and climate change became weighty responsibilities for China. On the other hand, the release and implementation of numerous EU environmental directives on products had a signicant inuence on the manufacturing industry in China. Since 2004, China has released such measures as Regulation on the Recycling and Treatment of Waste

Household Electrical and Electronic Appliances (China WEEE), Restriction of Hazardous Substances (China RoHS), China ELV, and the EnergyUsing Products directive (China EUP): In response to the EU ELV directive, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released its Automotive Products Recycling Technology Policy in 2006 In response to the EU WEEE directive, the NDRC released Regula-

Table II. Current Fixed Years for Vehicle Use and for Compulsory Dismantling in China
Fixed Years Extended Years Technical Inspection Intervals Vehicle Type for Use for Use during Use Life Less than 9 (included) Seats NonBusiness Use Passenger Vehicle More than 9 Seats Non-Business Use Passenger Vehicle Passenger Vehicle for Tourism 15 No limit for extension 10 Within 6 years, once every two years; 615 years, once every year; more than 16 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; 1015 years, once every year; 1620 years, twice every year Within 5 years, once every year; 510 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 5 years, once every year; 510 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 5 years, once every year; 58 years, once every year; more than 8 years, twice every year Within 5 years, once every year; 58 years, twice every year Within 8 years, once every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 8 years, once every year; more than 8 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Within 10 years, once every year; more than 10 years, twice every year Fixed Years for Compulsory Dismantling No

10

20

10

10

20

Business Use (not for taxi) Passenger Vehicle More than 20 (included) Seats Passenger Vehicle for Taxi Use Less than 19 (included) Seats Passenger Vehicle for Taxi Use Mini Commercial Vehicle Light and Heavy Commercial Vehicle Truck with Trailer, Mine Truck Crane Truck, Fire Truck, Drilling Truck, etc. Special Purpose Vehicle Full Trailer Semi-Trailer Semi-Trailer Tractor Others

10

15

12

8 8 10 8 10 10 10 10 10

No extension No extension 5 4 Proper extension 5 5 5 5

8 8 15 12 No 15 15 15 15

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tion on Take-Back and Disposal of Waste Home Appliances in 2004 and the former State Environmental Protection Administration released Measures on Pollution Prevention from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in 2005 In response to the RoHS Directive, the former Ministry of Information Industry released Management Measures for the Prevention & Control of Pollution from Electronic Information Products in 2006 As a response to the EUP & IPP, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine and Standardization Administration Commission released national standards: Environmentally conscious designIntegrating environmental aspects into design and development of electro-technical products (GB/T 21273-2007, idt IEC Guide 114:2005) and Environmental managementIntegrating environmental aspects into product design and development (GB/T240622007, idt ISO/ TR14062:2002) in 2007 Further, the concept of sustainable manufacturing is emerging in China as a promising approach toward sustainability more than as a solution to environmental issues. Sustainable manufacturing is the science and technology of manufacturing based on the idea of sustainable development, which improves economic growth and minimizes resource consumption and environmental pollution at all phases of the life cycle by reduce, reuse, and recovery. This approach can enable present and future generations to live in a society with abundant resources and a good environment. The auto industry plays an important role in the national economy. As a large consumer of natural resources, the auto industry is also concerned with the issue of sustainable development. The auto manufacturing industry involves large-scale resource utilization and wide demand for resources, and many afliated enterprises are involved. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the constraints imposed by limited resources on the development
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of the auto industry have become ever more apparent. MANAGEmENT RESPONSE TO THE EU ELV DIRECTIvE The implementation of the ELV Directive (2000/53/EC, Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 on end-lifevehicles) has deeply and broadly inuenced the Chinese auto industry. The automakers are considering the following measures: EPR, recovery systems in the total life cycle, providing dismantling information, prohibiting hazardous substances, green procurement and sustainable consumption. In addition, the Chinese auto industry is considering taking several ELV recycling measures. First, for resource recycling, the supervision of government and environmental protection should be emphasized. Next, dismantling in China must be consistent with Chinas national conditions. China has abundant labor resources. The dismantling operation mode in China should be: mechanization tools + manual dismantling. Large-scale automatic recycling equipment is unsuitable for Chinas national conditions. The emerging used-parts remanufacturing industry is a business model for the transition of the Chinese ELV recycling industry from scrap steel sales to remanufacturing. The Chinese government requires sustainable development of the manufacturing industry. But this is a real challenge because establishing a nationwide distributed automotive parts remanufacturing and reverse logistics system only relying on dismantling enterprises is not realistic. The responsibility of auto product manufacturers is to: Promote design for dismantling and design for recycling in the product design phase; promote the use of materials marking/coding systems Continuously improve the recoverability of products; promote the use of environmentally friendly materials; ban hazardous substances Product recoverability and use of restricted substances should abide by the policies and regulations
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Provide a true, accurate, and reliable report of product recoverability and restricted substances use Components and raw material suppliers should bear corresponding responsibility Auto Recovery Legislation Policy and Specication System The establishing legislation and specication system for automotive products recovery could be regarded as a response of China toward EU ELV directives, from national law to detailed technical specications, and from vehicle design to ELV recycling. National Laws Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Prevention of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Waste was enacted to prevent and control environmental pollution by solid waste, safeguarding human health, safeguarding the ecological environment, and promoting the sustainable development of economy and society. Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Circular Economy Promotion was designed to provide a legal framework for a national sustainable development strategy. The law requires low energy consumption and high resource efciency, low emissions of pollutants, and minimal waste discharge, using the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. The law also requires the recycling of larger waste products such as end-of-life vehicles and ships, and mechanical and electrical products. Incentives and penalties are included. National Technical Policies Automobile Industry Development Policy, May 2004 Automobile Trade Policy, August 2005 Technical Policy of Automotive Products Recovery, February 2006 Administrative Measures for Pilot Remanufacturing of Automobile Parts & Assemblies, March 2008 Management Regulation of ELV Take-back, a revised Decree 307,
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in review Administrative Rules of Recoverability Rate and Forbidden Substances for Motor Vehicles, in review Technical Specications GB/T 19515-2004: Road vehiclesRecyclability and recoverability-calculation method HJ 348-2007: Environmental Protection Technical Specications for Disassembly of End-ofLife Vehicles QC/T 797-2008: Material Identication & Marking of Automotive Plastic, Rubber & Thermoplastic Elastomer Parts GB 22128-2008: Technical specications for end-of-life vehicles recycling and dismantling enterprise Managing Auto Recoverability Rates and Forbidden Substances The framework of the management system for recoverability rate and forbidden substances of automotive products include the following substructures: administrative rules of recoverability rate and forbidden substances for vehicles; an exemption list for banned/restricted substances of auto products; a proven technology list for vehicle material recovery; and operational system and tools to support the implementation of the management system. The administrative rules of recoverability rate and forbidden substances for motor vehicles apply to new automotive products sold within China, as well as the spare parts for the aftersales maintenance and service of motor vehicles. Key points are: Starting on January 1, 2009, the manufacturers or the general import agents should start the initial examination and certication of the recoverability rate and the use of hazardous substances of new auto products Starting in 2010, all new auto products sold in China should abide by the policy-provided stage targets in recoverability and restricted substances The recoverability of automotive
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products is calculated according to related regulation or specication such as GB/T 19515-2004/ISO 22628:2002 The proven technology of recoverable automotive materials shall be accompanied with the identication report or certicate issued by a properly qualied institution Banned/restricted substances include lead (Pb > 0.1 wt.%), mercury (Hg > 0.1 wt.%), cadmium (Cd > 0.01 wt.%), hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI) > 0.1 wt.%], polybrominated biphenyls (PBB > 0.1 wt.%) and multi-bromo ether (PBDE > 0.1 wt.%) After January 1, 2014, the spare parts for maintenance and repair of all motor vehicles shall comply with the requirements for forbidden substances applicable to the new vehicle types Punishments for violations include warning or rectication with a time limit of 3 months; temporary cancellation of certication or temporary suspension of importing in addition to appropriate economic penalty The exemption list for banned/restricted substances of automotive products includes the additional substances of PBB and PBDE with four heavy metals referenced in the EU ELV directive annex II. It provides for the comprehensive consideration of alternative technologies and products supply capacity of suppliers, and the time and cost required for complete replacement of restricted substances as well. The Proven Technology List for Vehicle Material Recovery was initiated and drafted by a research group of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. There are more than 500 proven technology sheets of 4R (reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery) in the rst version based on an extensive Chinese literature investigation including eight categories of parts and materials, such as iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, engineering plastics, composite materials, rubber, glass, ceramics, and liquid (gas). The Automobile Materials Data System is a controversial issue in China. The NDRC agreed that vehicle manufacturers have the right to choose the
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International Material Data System (IMDS) or China Automotive Material Data System (CAMDS), coupled with internal data systems for type approving. China Automotive Material Data System is scheduled to be implemented in March 2009, when all auto enterprises must provide material data to meet the requirements of materials data management. The system will review and manage the data provided by enterprises. To reduce costs, local brand original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) choose to participate in the preparation of CAMDS. The International Material Data System is another choice for local brand OEMs. Local OEMs contact Electronic Data Systems (EDS, the technology services business group of Hewlett-Packard Development Company) frequently for IMDS orientation due to their export business drive. EDS has offered IMDS training sessions in Beijing and Shanghai, and an IMDS helpdesk will be located in Wu Han. A reliable and operational approval and administrative system is very important to ensure the implementation of Administrative Rules of Recoverability Rate and Forbidden Substances for Motor Vehicles. The recoverability rate and forbidden substances of auto products will be integrated into the permitting management system of market access for vehicles, in addition to constituting one compulsory requirement of the Announcement on Vehicle Manufactures and Their Products and the administration of import of automotive products. The mode of vehicle type approval over the recoverability rate and forbidden substances of auto products will be implemented in two steps: initial examination and certication of the automotive product (Figure 4). For the initial examination, the manufacturer must submit a letter of application, and the competent authorities or their entrusted technical service must conduct the examination. For the certication of automotive products, the manufacturer must submit the letter of application, and the technical service must conduct the certication. Both the initial examination and the certication of automotive products will be conducted by combining the review of documents with on-site auditing.
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AuTO RECOvERY ACTIvITIES ANd INNOvATIONS Auto Recovery Activities For years, local brand and joint venture OEM recycling-related activities have been regarded as strategic issues concerning the upcoming administrative rules of recoverability rates and forbidden substances. For example, new vehicle product recoverability rate calculation and preparing for type approval; collecting, evaluating, and conrming the parts and components complied with the substances restriction specication in supply chain; promoting design for recycling, design for dismantling and life cycle thinking in the product design phase; releasing green material specications for product designers; compiling end-oflife vehicle dismantling manual. On March 21, 2008, the NDRC conrmed that three auto makers and 11 parts manufacturers kicked off the national pilot auto parts remanufacturing program as part of the efforts to achieve a circular economy. The tentative auto parts remanufacturing products are: engines, transmissions, generators, starters, and steering. Meanwhile, the NDRC announced ve principles for the pilot program: temporarily, parts remanufacturing enterprises are not allowed to purchase the ve supervised assemblies of vehicle from ELV dismantling enterprises; the warranty for

Table III. Fundamental Research and Pilot Programs for ELV Recovery in Shanghai
Year 2001 Project Title Investigation on Developing ELV Recycling and Remanufacturing in Shanghai The Key Technique Investigation & Pilot Project of ELV Disposal in Shanghai The Key Technique Investigation & Pilot Project of ELV Parts Remanufacturing Investigation on the ELV Directive and Chinas Strategic Response The Key Technique Investigation and Pilot Project of ELV Green Dismantling and Recycling The Key Technique Investigation and Pilot Project of Passenger Car Recovery Financial Support Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM) Funding STCSM Funding STCSM Funding Shanghai Technical Barriers to Trade Funding Ministry of Science & Technology China Funding STCSM Funding

20022004 20052007 20062007 20062009

20082010

remanufactured products shall not be less than for original new products; the parts remanufacturing enterprise shall not be allowed to take back or remanufacture authorized products of another enterprise; the remanufactured products shall be circulated in auto manufacturers after-sales service systems and not sold directly in the retail market; the parts remanufacturing enterprise shall obtain the right to use the trademark from the OEM of the core. In addition, the national standard Specication for Auto Parts Remanufacturing: Positive Ignition and Compression Ignition Engines was drafted in 2008. Innovations Since 2001, six fundamental research and pilot programs have been developed in Shanghai which are supported by local government and the

government of China (Table III). The fundamental research issues concern LCA tools and database development for auto products; design for recycling and design for dismantling; theories and technologies for environmentally sound ELV dismantling; and remanufacturing. An ELV dismantling pilot factory is completed, an engine parts remanufacturing pilot production line is installed, and a remanufacturing core pilot logistics center is planned. Key issues for used auto parts remanufacturing include theories and technologies for clean processing of the remanufactured core; residual life evaluation, dimension, and precision inspection of core; dimension and precision restoring of the core; disassembly, reassembly, and running-in of remanufactured products; and quality control of remanufactured products. Innovations in parts remanufacturing aim at providing technical support and exploring the development model for automotive products remanufacturing in China. Magnetic Memory NDT-Based Residual Fatigue Life Evaluation Fatigue is the most common failure mode for mechanical parts. Residual fatigue life is a key indicator for evaluation of remanufacturability of used parts. Residual fatigue life is hard to determine by means of statistics because the service history of parts is not clear. Magnetic memory is a physics phenomenon: the ferromagnetic materials located in a geomagnetic eld and under service loads will behave with decreasing magnetic conductivity and
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Figure 4. Vehicle type approval mode for the recoverability rate and forbidden substances in China.

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increasing leakage of magnetic ux in the concentration areas of residual stress and deformation. A research group at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has focused on the crankshaft, developing a magnetic memory residual fatigue life evaluation method with the following features: establishing the magnetic memory quantitative characterization mode of the materials fatigue damage; establishing mapping between the parameters of magnetic memory characterization and fatigue life; and establishing a practical residual fatigue evaluation method based on used crankshafts. The investigation based on 48MnV steel shows that a metal magnetic memory non-destructive testing technique can be used to characterize the fatigue damage of ferromagnetic material. Flow Plating: Automatic Operation and Mass Production of Brush Plating Partial surface damage is another common failure mode for mechanical parts. Surface engineering, such as electroplating and thermo-spraying are repair methods developed especially for bearing houses, crank shafts, and other expensive parts. Traditional manual brush plating is not suitable for automation and mass production requirements. Therefore, a research group in Shanghai Jiao Tong University proposes a so-called ow-plating technology. It is anodic without a cotton pack to store plating uid; it involves plating of anodes and the work piece to maintain a certain space, with the plating uid circularly pumped to ow to the plating work area. Through a series of studies, brush-plating anode material was chosen and a ow-plating interface was designed, through optimization of parameters of the orthogonal test-plating process. Non-Governmental Organization for ELV Recovery in China In 2007, the rst ELV recovery nongovernmental organization of China, the Shanghai Automotive Product Recycling Technical Committee, which is afliated with the Shanghai Society of Automobile Engineers, was established. The members are mostly engiVol. 61 No. 3 JOM

neers and technicians from Shanghai Automobile Industry Co. and other related industries, such as suppliers, dismantlers, remanufacturers, and research institutes. In 2008, a nationwide automotive product recycling technical committee was created, which is afliated with the China Society of Automobile Engineers. The technical committee should be a platform for governmental administrative departments, industries, research institutes, and universities to communicate and collaborate on automotive product reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery. In this organization, an international steering committee will lead in the exchange and collaboration of science and technology in auto product recycling and recovery; promote auto industrial policy for product recovery in China; and advocate sustainable automobile consumption in Chinese communities. Co-initiation of Asia Automotive Environmental Forum After its initiation in Shanghai and one year of preparation, the rst Asia Automotive Environmental Forum was held on October 29, 2008 in Seoul, South Korea. Among the more than 150 participants were government ofcials, academics, and industry experts as well as automotive association representatives. The forum was hosted by Hyundai Motor Company, and automakers such as Chinas Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Japans Toyota and Nissan participated. There are many reasons for establishing the Asian regional non-governmental forum: China, Japan, and Korea are closer neighbors in East Asia, and there are broader political and cultural exchanges as well as a higher mutual economic cooperation between the three countries. In the coming decade, automobile production and sales in East Asia will account for half of the worlds; it is signicant to form an information exchange and consultation mechanism, and accelerate the vehicle-recovery-related science and technology collaboration and dissemination in this region. A second forum is scheduled to take place in Tokyo in 2009, while a third will be in 2010 in Shanghai.
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ACTIvITIES IN THE FuTuRE Policies related to automobile products recovery, regulations, standards, and technical specications provide a guide for the auto manufacturers to implement the product design for recoverability, establish management ow for parts material information, study disassembly techniques of parts, prepare products for manual dismantling, and take part in the construction of a take back network for ELVs. The manufactuers must also be responsible for the take back and treatment of designated hazardous substances. Vehiclerecovery-related activities in China should focus on policy and regulation, standards and technical specications, and R&D. The policy for auto parts and components focuses on remanufacturing and circulation; OEM-guided auto products and their packaging take-back system; the regulation of hazardous and dangerous substance disposal for auto products; and administrative rules for automotive products dismantling information disclosure. Standards and technical specications focus on testing methods to identify hazardous substances in auto products; methods for plastic/rubber parts marking and coding; standards for auto materials recovery proven technology and database; standards for automotive product dismantling information disclosure; parts and components remanufacturing related technical specications and standards. Research and development of the necessary technology processes and facilities shall include: process and equipment for sustainable ELV recycling with the main targets of clean dismantling; process and equipment for non-metal materials identication and sorting systems; techniques and theory for clean processing of remanufacturing core; techniques and theory for residual life evaluation of the remanufactured core; and techniques and theory for dimension and precision restoring of remanufacturing core. CONCluSION Implementation of the EUs ELV directive eight years ago had a profound inuence on Chinas automotive
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industry, leading to consideration of concepts such as extended producer responsibility as well as sustainable manufacturing and sustainable consumption. It also provided some impetus for ELV recycling industry developments within China. It is expected that a registery of recoverability and use of restricted/banned substances in new automotive products will be launched in early 2009. By the following year, all new automotive products sold in China will be forced to abide by certain quotas relating to recoverability and use of restricted substances. However, Chinas ELV recovery industry is still facing some signicant issues, not least of which is the fact that improper disposal of hazardous substances and a lack of environmental protection measures are common in vehicle dismantling operations. Given Chinas abundant labor resources, large-scale automated recycling is deemed unsuitable whereas used parts remanufacturing provides development

opportunities for Chinas ELV recycling industry. It is signicant to specify the responsibilities of the auto manufacturers to reduce and improve recovery rates of auto production waste. It is signicant, also, to reinforce the momentum of scientic and technological contributions, and strive for green competitiveness in the automotive recovery technology. Meanwhile, it is necessary to establish technical and quality management specications for parts remanufacturing, to dene a reused parts distribution channel, to guide the auto manufacturers gradually to incorporate the remanufactured parts into their maintenance service and product management system, and to guarantee the quality and regulate the market of the remanufactured parts. Finally, it is important to give full play to the exchange platform of nongovernmental organizations (such as the Society of Automobile Engineers of China and China Automobile Manu-

facturer Association), positively promote international cooperation in recovery technology of the automobiles, and advocate green procurement and consumption of the autos. ACKNOWlEdGEmENTS The author expresses sincere thanks to the Ministry of Science & Technology, P.R. China for nancing this research within the project The Key Technique Investigation & Pilot Project of ELV Green Dismantling & Recycling under the label 2006BAF02A18, and sincere thanks to the Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality for nancing this research within the project The Key Technique Investigation & Pilot Project of Passenger Car Recovery under the label 08DZ1202900.
Ming Chen is a professor in the School of Mechanical and Power Engineering and Fan Zhang is a lecturer in the School of Media and Design, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800, Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240 China. Prof. Chen can be reached at mingchen@sjtu.edu.cn.