Renault opening truck recycling facility

Renault Trucks, which has announced its plans to recycle end-of-life trucks and reuse their spare parts, is opening a dedicated plant at its manufacturing facility in Lyon–Vénissieux, France.

This 3,000 square metre (32,000 square foot) plant will handle used Renault trucks with high mileage, along with some parts that still have substantial potential for reuse. 

The company conducted a feasibility study in 2020, along with Indra Automobile Recycling and ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.

Over the past five years, Renault Trucks has invested in the circular economy, applying a three-pronged approach that consists in regenerating, repurposing and recycling used trucks. 

End-of-life Renault Trucks will enter the used parts factory to be dismantled. Operators will remove the components previously identified as suitable for reuse, such as the engine, gearbox, cabin, fuel tank, bumpers, and deflectors.

Once the parts intended for reuse have been removed, the other components will be recycled. The rails, for example, will be cut up and sent to the nearby foundry. The metal extracted from the parts will be used to manufacture new vehicles.

The components intended for re-use will then be checked, cleaned and labelled for listing and traceability purposes. These used spare parts will then be sent to the nearby Renault Trucks spare parts store, just like new spare parts.

Like new spare parts, the used spare parts marketed under the label “Used Parts by Renault Trucks” will be made available to dealers on the manufacturer’s online spare parts marketplace. These used spare parts will be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty and their cost will be significantly lower compared to new spare parts.

Renault Trucks is conducting numerous initiatives to extend the lifetime of the vehicles it sells. For example, used trucks are remanufactured according to strict industrial processes at the Used Trucks Factory, vehicles are updated with the latest technologies in the reconditioning centre in Lyon, and there are also used special-series models for sale.

With this new offer, Renault Trucks is continuing its progression towards carbon neutrality. It is also addressing the shortage of components and raw materials that is impacting the industry as a whole. 

Renault Trucks is part of the Volvo Group. The Volvo Group employs around 95,000 people, has production plants in 19 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2021, Volvo group sales amounted to 34 billion euros (372 billion Swedish crowns).