The U.S. federal government is advancing efforts to introduce recycled-content requirements for plastic components in light vehicles, building on the EPA's existing Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) program and broader White House sustainability directives. While no final rule with specific targets or penalties has been published, the proposed expansion would mark the first federal mandate specifically addressing recycled polymer content in automotive parts such as interior trim, under-hood components, and battery enclosures.
Background
The push follows years of federal activity focused on plastics and sustainability procurement. The EPA's CPG program, authorized under Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), already designates 61 products across eight categories for recycled-content procurement, including vehicular products such as rebuilt parts, re-refined lubricating oils, and retread tires. However, automotive plastic components have not previously been subject to specific federal recycled-content mandates.
The broader federal framework stems from Executive Order 14057, which directs federal agencies to minimize waste, support markets for recycled products, and phase out single-use plastics from federal operations by 2035. The White House has described this as the first time the federal government is "formally acknowledging the severity of the plastic pollution crisis."
At the state level, five states have enacted laws as of 2025 requiring certain containers and packages to meet minimum recycled-content standards, though none target automotive plastics specifically. The absence of uniform national mandates for automotive recycled content remains a challenge for North American manufacturers.
Details
The strongest international precedent comes from Europe. In December 2025, EU co-legislators agreed that the plastic used in each new vehicle type should contain a minimum of 15% recycled plastic within six years of the rules' entry into force and 25% within ten years. At least 20% of this recycled plastic must come from closed-loop recycling - material recovered from end-of-life vehicles. According to ICIS Plastic Recycling Analyst Mia McLachlan, "recycled content mandates are expected to be met primarily through recycled polyolefins," with the majority supplied by recycled polypropylene.
The EU regulation directly pressures U.S.-based OEMs and global suppliers operating in both markets. EU requirements are driving the development of compliance tools and data sources; leveraging this investment to inform North American regulations could benefit the automotive industry by promoting consistency for global companies.
Researchers from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre found that approximately 80% of recycled plastic currently used in new vehicles originates from pre-consumer industrial scrap rather than post-consumer waste. In the U.S., more than 80% of end-of-life vehicle plastics are landfilled due to limited economic incentives and technical barriers to recycling. For certain components - such as mono-material polypropylene interior parts - introducing recycled content is more straightforward, making these the primary near-term target for manufacturers.
The American Chemistry Council has advocated for federal and state-level initiatives to stimulate investment in national durable plastics recycling infrastructure for collecting, separating, sorting, and processing end-of-life automotive plastics, as well as tax incentives for vehicles incorporating recycled content.
Outlook
Any U.S. federal recycled-content rule for automotive plastics remains at the proposal and interagency review stage, with public comment expected before final adoption. On February 11, 2026, the Recycled Materials Attribution Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives - a bipartisan bill aiming to establish federal standards for recycling and recycled-content marketing claims. How the current administration approaches automotive-specific recycled-content requirements will determine whether U.S. policy converges with or diverges from the EU's binding targets - a critical variable for OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and recycled-resin producers planning long-term material strategies.
