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Environment

Climate change and the rarefaction of resources are more and more determining consumers’ choices and businesses’ strategies. In order to accompany the necessary changes the sector has to go through, FIGIEFA is developing specific actions.

What is the issue?

Climate change, the preservation of environment and the rarefaction of resources are increasingly at the core of important public policies and regulations. Many of these are intended to reduce the footprint of road mobility, and as such impact the wider automotive ecosystem in general, and the aftermarket in particular.

Among other initiatives, the European Commission has proposed a ban on the sell of internal combustion engines by 2035, resulting in practice in all new cars to be powered most likely by electricity or hydrogen.

In parallel, the car park is ageing and the independent aftermarket has an essential role to play for the sustainable repair of vehicles, in particular through the development of circular economy solutions.

Last but not least, consumers, whether individuals or organisations, but also important business partners, such as investors, have increasingly high requirements on the matter.

How does it impact your business?

This rapidly evolving issue results in a mix of challenges and opportunities for the independent aftermarket.

In particular, competition for the provision of repair and maintenance service for new vehicles powered by electricity or hydrogen remains largely close, with the vehicle manufacturers and their networks still having an almost complete monopoly. For example, independent operators have only a restricted access to the batteries, or to the technical information to handle them.

Electric vehicles also induce an important shift in the number of parts being sold. Electric vehicles usually contain much less parts and components than the ones powered by an internal combustion engine. This is turn impact the whole logistic chain.

What is FIGIEFA doing?

FIGIEFA is of course monitoring closely the wide range of (proposed) legislations whose environmental objectives can have an impact on its members.

Besides, it launched in September 2022 the Forum for Automotive Aftermarket Sustainability, an initiative aimed at bringing together the various market operators to discuss and develop common solutions improving the environmental footprint of the sector.