Please choose your country location, so we can show you correct shippingprice and VAT on items.
 
Menu toggle
Give us a call

Welcome back

Guides

The environmental impact of manufacturing new car parts

Content

1. How does the production of new car parts affect the environment?

2. Energy consumption

3. Waste generation and disposal

4. New car parts compared with used and recycled parts

Every modern car consists of a large number of individual car parts. What many people don’t know is that even the production of the car and its individual parts consumes large amounts of energy and emits pollutants. Find out now all about the environmental impact of car parts production, and how used car parts effectively contribute to environmental protection.

How does the production of new car parts affect the environment?

The production of new car parts has a negative impact on the environment in any case. This is despite the fact that car parts manufacturers, as well as car manufacturers themselves, now place great emphasis on improved environmental protection. Above all, the production of auto parts consumes a lot of energy. In addition to the environmental impact and energy consumption in the production process, environmental damage caused by the extraction of raw materials is increasingly coming into focus. Raw materials for the production of plastics, aluminum parts or batteries can rarely be extracted in an environmentally friendly way.

Environmental protection OEM vs. aftermarket parts

A new car consists of around 10,000 individual parts. The parts for manufacturing cars as well as for repairing them are available in different varieties. So-called OEM parts are built by or for the car manufacturer and are also used as spare parts. Aftermarket parts, on the other hand, are parts manufactured by third-party suppliers. The environmental benefits of OEM parts and aftermarket parts must always be evaluated individually. Often, original equipment manufacturers pay close attention to compliance with environmental protection standards. However, this does not necessarily mean that aftermarket suppliers do not. In addition, aftermarket parts are often still available when production of OEM parts has already ceased.

Extraction and processing of raw materials

The automotive industry relies on large quantities of raw materials. For example, every new car contains around 70 tons of materials and resources. These include, for example, basic materials for the production of steel or aluminum. Rare materials for the production of vehicle batteries or electronic parts are also indispensable in car manufacturing. Urgently needed raw materials for car parts production are not only scarce, but can also rarely be mined in an environmentally friendly way. This is partly due to the locations where the raw materials are mined. Awareness of environmental protection and resource-conserving mining methods has not yet been able to take hold in all parts of the world.

Energy consumption

The production of new car parts consumes large amounts of energy. This is due to the manufacturing processes of all parts, which require a certain amount of energy. In particular, processes such as the production of the basic materials or the forming of the materials require energy in the form of power or heat. Many parts producers are trying to optimize the amount of energy used in the production of new car parts. Car manufacturers such as Toyota additionally generate some of the energy themselves in an environmentally friendly manner. Nevertheless, the production of vehicle parts is accompanied by a not inconsiderable consumption of electricity or even gas.

Emissions and pollution

Environmental emissions and pollution do not only occur when a car is used on the road. The production of the installed vehicle parts also has a negative impact on the emission of pollutants and the pollution of the environment. The production of the car alone accounts for around 20 percent of all CO2 emissions over the vehicle’s entire service life. When it comes to car parts, European manufacturers are committed to reducing emissions of pollutants and environmental toxins as much as possible. Nevertheless, the production of car parts and complete vehicles remains emissions-intensive. Even the construction of a small car releases around four tons of carbon dioxide. For mid-size cars, the figure doubles to eight tons.

Water consumption and pollution

Water is required in many areas of parts production. This often involves the use of drinking water, which is a sought-after commodity in parts of the world. But water can hardly be replaced in the painting of body parts or the cleaning of parts. Cooling processes when cutting materials or cooling machines are also inconceivable without water. The production of a car consumes between 300,000 and 400,000 liters of water from the extraction of raw materials to final assembly. Manufacturers such as Audi want to halve water consumption during the production steps of vehicle parts over the next few decades. Nevertheless, the production of vehicle parts continues to require large quantities of the precious wet.

Waste generation and disposal

The production of automotive parts inevitably generates larger quantities of waste products. This applies to both the production of raw materials and the manufacture of finished car parts. Often these are offcuts or remnants that cannot be avoided in the modern production process of parts. Many carmakers have long since responded to the problem and are striving for production processes with low waste volumes. For example, automotive manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz recycle the aluminum scrap generated during parts production and return it to production. Nevertheless, it will still not be possible to completely avoid waste during production in the future.

Use of chemicals

The use of chemicals is unavoidable in many production steps. Even today, chemical components and heavy metals are used in the production of car parts. This applies, for example, to electronic components or the circuit boards of control units. In individual cases, even German suppliers have exceeded limit values.

Transport and distribution

The transport and distribution of auto parts also generates emissions. This is always the case if the car parts have to be transported over long distances. Depending on the type of component and the manufacturer, the transport route and environmental impact vary.

End-of-life disposal

At the end of their life, products have to be disposed of, and this applies to car parts as well as to the car itself. Today, most automotive parts are recycled in an environmentally friendly manner or can even be reprocessed. In turn, the life of the car can be extended with spare parts.

New car parts compared with used and recycled parts

The use of used or reconditioned car parts can make an important contribution to environmental protection. Used car parts do not have to be specially manufactured from scratch and consequently do not consume energy for the production process. Pollution of the environment also does not take place with environmentally friendly car recycling. Tested used parts can be reused without any problems and extend the service life of the entire vehicle after installation. The same applies to remanufactured parts. In the course of remanufacturing, an average of 80 percent less energy is required than in the production of new vehicle components. Valuable resources are also conserved.

Car parts with particularly high emission and pollutant levels

Some vehicle parts generate particularly high emissions or produce many pollutants in the production process. These include aluminum parts such as cylinder heads because of the energy-intensive production processes. Batteries or parts made of composite materials, such as modern body parts, often have a poor life cycle assessment and are difficult to recycle.

These car parts cause few emissions and pollutants

For some years now, the automotive industry has been increasingly focusing on the production of parts made from environmentally friendly or natural materials. These include, for example, interior trim and insulation made of hemp fibers or seat cushions made of coconut. Manufacturers like Ford are even experimenting with their suppliers on car parts made from leftover coffee beans.

Advantages of opting for used car parts

Used auto parts reduce the need for new raw materials and decrease energy requirements. In addition, used parts are usually much cheaper than new parts. As an original used part, the car parts can be easily installed on the car.

Recieve free inspiration, news and offers!

Signup for our newsletter, we only send around 10 a year!

Find your spare part
select car make:
Find your used sparepart via OEM number on Autoparts24
Search

Top guides

Sign up for Newsletter

FAQ

Returns & Complaints