Renault is a trailblazer for car manufacturers across the world when it comes to the circular economy. The car giant aligns its manufacturing practices to circular principles – it was the first carmaker to do so.
Now the company is further strengthening its commitment to sustainability by deepening its long-established relationship with the circular economy’s flagship organisation, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The economic benefits – Renault has generated half a billion euros annually from recycling and remanufacturing – make this decision an economic and environmental no-brainer.
“We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. We have been working together for seven years and are now exploring how to embed circular economy in our international operations. Some of Renault’s future projects include studies into extending our European remanufacturing model into other regions of the world, such as India, Brazil, Morocco and China, as well as continuing its deployment over the lifecycle of electric vehicle batteries and new mobility solutions,” said Jean-Philippe Hermine, Groupe Renault’s Vice President of Strategic Environmental Planning.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Founder, Ellen MacArthur added: “Renault was involved right from the beginning of the Foundation’s journey – when the circular economy was just emerging as a coherent framework. Since then, Renault has put a circular economy approach into practice, demonstrating the economic rationale through many examples. I am delighted that Renault will be continuing this journey with us.”
Credit: Olivier MONOT / Planimonteur
Other carmakers – including Audi – are also incorporating circular economy thinking into their strategies. In its 2016 annual report, Audi said: “The circular economy will be a fundamental principle in the entire value chain at Audi in the future. The vision is to use raw materials in a closed loop wherever possible.”
