A perfect partnership
Starting a conversation about the end of a vehicle’s life is beneficial for everyone involved.
To most people who are buying a new car, their current vehicle becomes a passing thought—it’s traded in or scrapped and the buyer moves on to bigger and better things.
But the discussion regarding the end of a vehicle’s life is one that manufacturers and dealers should be having more often. Not only is it ideal to make a point of considering the environmental impact as a business, it can also translate to more sales.
The Automotive Recyclers of Canada has always tried to instill that consumers should care where their car goes, and that it’s handled by a certified recycler who does things right and manages the process. We’ve discovered that when major OEMs and retailers step up to be a part of this process it gets the word out in a big way and has a positive impact on how the entire automotive industry is perceived.
Recycle Your Ride
A good example is perhaps the partnership between the Automotive Recyclers of Canada and Ford Motor Company of Canada through the Recycle Your Ride Program.
The Recycle Your Ride Program is a timed dealer incentive package where if you’re turning in an older vehicle, Ford will provide a rebate of up to $2500 off the purchase of a new Ford vehicle.
Having a large manufacturer like Ford keeping car buyers informed is a big step forward. It’s vital that consumers understand that auto recycling isn’t a scam—the vehicle will be properly retired, not just sold off. It also highlights the OEM as an organization that cares about CO2 emissions, waste minimization and making a full environmental case for being a sustainable business.
The partnership is positive for everyone involved because the manufacturer gets to use the infrastructure of certified auto recyclers to help them manage these vehicles, while providing a good source of vehicle inventory for our members.
Working Together
Almost 70,000 vehicles have been recycled through the program since 2009. At ARC, we love the opportunity to have members interact with dealers at the local level. We also get to work more with members on these programs. In the last two months I’ve talked to more auto recyclers across Canada than ever before.
Some of the components of environmental stewardship that many manufacturers are demonstrating today include putting a lot of effort into designing cars, meeting standards, going zero waste on their manufacturing facilities, and ARC is able to carry that conversation over to end of life.
It’s a great example of different areas of the automotive industry working together with a result that’s positive for the environment and profitable for everyone involved. And we’d love to see more OEMs coming up with innovative ways to get the word out to consumers about what happens when it’s time for a vehicle to come off the road.