Steel Industry Calls on EU for Life Cycle Approach to Vehicle Emissions
05/22/2013 - As negotiations on the EU review of the CO2 emissions from cars regulations begin today, the steel industry is calling upon the Council to uphold Parliament’s amendment acknowledging the importance of a life cycle assessment in emissions legislation after 2020.
As negotiations on the EU review of the CO2 emissions from cars regulations begin today, the steel industry calls upon the Council to uphold Parliament’s amendment acknowledging the importance of a life cycle assessment in emissions legislation after 2020.
On 24 April, in its vote on the review of CO2 emissions from cars legislation (443/2009), the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) acknowledged the need to take into account “greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy supply and the life cycle of the vehicle" in regulations after 2020. WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the World Steel Association, welcomed this amendment and calls on member states to support it during the negotiations between the European Parliament, Council and Commission (trialogue) set to begin today.
The current regulation focuses solely on what comes out of the tailpipe; these are the emissions produced during the car’s driving phase. However, this approach may lead to the unintended consequence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions during the vehicle’s total life cycle as the emissions contribution from the fuel cycle, vehicle production and disposal are not being considered. A growing number of scientific studies show that already now 16% of all emissions relating to passenger cars are not covered by tailpipe regulation. This figure is likely to more than double in the future with more fuel efficient cars and alternative powertrains expected in the market.
A life cycle assessment (LCA) of emissions is therefore critical to a complete picture of a vehicle carbon footprint. It will primarily assist automakers in evaluating and reducing the total energy consumed as well as the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of their products.
WorldAutoSteel director Cees ten Broek said, “Possible plans for the introduction of LCA in emissions regulations have taken a step forward as the European Parliament recognized the need to open the debate, and could set an important precedent for current legislation in discussion around the world. As a global industry we are committed to developing solutions that provide design flexibility to car manufacturers while at the same time meeting their challenges for improving fuel economy and reducing green-house gas emissions. To be able to do this on a level playing field, together with other materials we need better regulation. This has clearly been acknowledged by the European Parliament and requires now the support of the Council - we are confident that this recognition will be confirmed in the upcoming negotiations in the EU. We are looking forward to embarking on a fruitful dialogue on LCA with both regulators and car manufacturers."
WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the World Steel Association, is comprised of 18 major global steel producers from around the world.
WorldAutoSteel’s mission is to advance and communicate steel’s unique ability to meet the automotive industry’s needs and challenges in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way. WorldAutoSteel is committed to a low carbon future, the principles of which are embedded in our continuous research, manufacturing processes, and ultimately, in the advancement of automotive steel products, for the benefit of society and future generations.
