Lünen, 04. April 2025. Audi AG and TSR Resource GmbH & Co. KG have developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly concept for a return scheme that will enable the raw materials in end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) to be recovered and recycled for reuse. As a result, Audi will be the first carmaker to strategically integrate post-consumer materials into its supply chain and secure these with TSR via a ‘digital material account’.
Audi will be sending several thousand pre-production cars to be recycled from 2025 onwards. The TSR Group will shred these vehicles, recycle them using high-quality processes and then return them, as recycled raw materials, to specific parts of the supply chain for reuse. The goal here is to use the materials from ELVs to produce new cars.
One central element of this collaboration is the ‘digital material account’, which will allow the recovered recycled raw materials from the ELVs to be credited to Audi. Suppliers can access these raw materials as part of a procurement process. This will create a new model that promotes the circular use of materials and can be used by a variety of makes and supply chains.
“The potential of recycling is enormous. We are constantly working on increasing the proportion of recycled materials in our vehicles. Audi is leading the way in the automotive industry with its digital material account and will be able to procure recycled raw materials as valuable resources, reducing dependency on the market. Audi is showing that sustainability and profitability really do go hand in hand,” explained Dr Renate Vachenauer, Audi Board Member for Procurement.
Christian Blackert, managing director of TSR Resource, stressed: “We are really pleased that our work with Audi has led to another important milestone for the circular economy in the automotive industry. This project is an impressive example of what industrial partnerships can achieve. At the same time, we are reducing dependency on fragile supply chains and making a key contribution towards building resilience in the face of global market challenges.”
This collaboration is an important step towards setting up a circular economy. Looking ahead, further materials and car models should be integrated into the return scheme. The goal is to significantly increase post-consumer material content in new Audis – without compromising on quality or profitability.
This scheme will not only reduce consumption of natural resources but also grow supply chain resilience. It will enable recycled materials from ELVs to become a reliable source of materials that can be strategically returned and reused in production processes.
For further information and images, please contact
Jenny Sbosny
Head of Communications & Marketing
Tel.: +49(0)2306 106-3878
presse@tsr.eu
Brunnenstr. 138
44536 Lünen
tsr.eu
