Toronto, Ontario — Customers of auto recyclers—especially collision repairers—seem to lack an understanding of the potential environmental benefits of using green recycled parts, according to a new report by the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) and compiled by Oakdene Hollins.
There’s also a lack of trust in the reliability and safety of green recycled parts, which remains a factor reducing customer demand, concludes the report.
OARA released the study—The Environmental Benefits of Green Recycled Parts in Ontario—earlier this week, stating that it retained U.K.-based consultancy Oakdene Hollins to undertake the research with the goal to:
- Characterize the current state of play for the Green Recycled Parts market in Ontario;
- Critically review existing research on the potential material and carbon saving associated with the top-selling Green Recycled Parts in Ontario;
- Identify gaps and provide recommendations for various stakeholder groups to raise awareness and scale adoption of Green Recycled Parts
Split into three parts, the first portion of the report focuses on the Canadian and Ontario auto dismantling industries, outlining volumes and market dynamics ruling the space. The second part explores the evidence for environmental impacts that individual parts can have when reused; the third uses evidence gathered to map knowledge gaps and recommendations for development.
Greg Woodbeck, OARA Chairman said, “The branding of our parts as Green Recycled Parts started in Ontario and has moved around the world. The association felt it was time to further quantify the environmental benefits of our parts.
“We know they save people money, but we also need to document the greenhouse gas savings. While most in and around the industry know that reuse is better than recycling, we knew it would be helpful to put numbers behind that. This is what this project was meant to do, and the reaction has been nothing short of fantastic.”
One of the unique aspects of the study was the extensive survey work done with OARA Members – bringing real-world data to the discussion.
OARA is also planning an all-stakeholders roundtable on the Thursday before the next OARA Convention in March, with this report used as a catalyst for direct discussions within the overall auto repair economy.
