From End-of-Life Vehicles to Shared Value: AFRECAR Explores Circular Economy Opportunities Between Europe and Africa.
AFRECAR is a pilot initiative studying vehicle and material flows between Europe and Africa. With rising volumes of end-of-life vehicles expected in the Global South, this shift brings both challenges and opportunities for circular economy systems. The project reviews current flows and investigates how transcontinental material cycles can be scaled and structured sustainably. AFRECAR seeks to identify ESG compliant solutions that create shared value for both regions.
On 10 June 2026, the AFRECAR project webinar took place. Markus Seidel, BMW Group, EUCAR Lead EG Circular Economy, ERTRAC Co-Lead WG Circularity & Competitiveness, introduced participants to Circular Economy in EUCAR and the AFRECAR Project as a case study for the Global South. Thomas Krautter, Capgemini and Magnus Froehling, TUM presented phase I of the project regarding motivation, objectives and methodological foundation. Yifaat Baron, Andreas Manhart, Öko-Institut and Atiemo Sampson, MOUNTAINRESEARCH Institut, presented phase II, explaining the motivation, objectives and methodological foundation.
The presentations with figures and pictures provided participants with a clear overview of the situation, challenges, and expectations regarding transcontinental vehicle circularity.
We also want to highlight the collective effort of everyone involved in Phase II of the study, and specifically to those who travelled to Ghana to gain firsthand experience in a real-world setting including participants from ACEA, BMW Group, Honda R&D Europe, Toyota Motor Europe, and Volkswagen Group.
Download the presentations shared during the webinar here:
Introduction to Circular Economy and Africa as a case for the Global South: Future ELV Dynamics and system implications. Markus Seidel, BMW Group, EUCAR Lead EG Circular Economy, ERTRAC Co-Lead WG Circularity & Competitiveness
AFRECAR Phase I: Motivation, objectives and methodological foundation. Thomas Krautter, Capgemini and Magnus Froehling, TUM.
AFRECAR Phase II: Key results, challenges and opportunities in Ghana and future outlook. Yifaat Baron, Andreas Manhart, Öko-Institut and Atiema Sampson, MOUNTAINRESEARCH Institut.