Driving the Circular Transformation of the European Automotive Industry with Skills, Digital Tools, and Lighthouse Demonstration

Objective

The European automotive sector faces urgent challenges in achieving life-cycle circularity due to fragmented standards, limited end-of-life integration, skills gaps, and slow adoption of digital tools. AutoCE addresses these barriers through its Circularity Compass Framework, which unites stakeholders, data, and interoperable solutions to accelerate systemic transformation. AutoCE will deliver four core building blocks: the Auto-Circular Sandbox for multi-stakeholder modelling and consensus building; interoperable Digital Product Passports and Digital Twins for lifecycle optimisation; an AI-powered Circular Economy Assistant that provides role-specific guidance, matchmaking, and onboarding; and an Integrated Circularity & Sustainability Monitor to track environmental, economic, and social performance. These innovations will be validated in a Lighthouse Recycling Factory, producing an investment-ready blueprint for advanced disassembly, remanufacturing, and material recovery. Aligned with initiatives such as Catena-X and contributing to CEN/CENELEC pre-standards, AutoCE ensures interoperability, SME accessibility, and policy relevance. Co-creation workshops, training, and policy briefs will build stakeholder capacity and foster inclusivity. By delivering harmonised tools and frameworks, AutoCE directly supports the call’s expected outcomes: a shared understanding of circularity, improved resource sovereignty, adoption of DPPs and Digital Twins, harmonised ecosystem requirements, and a roadmap for visible industrial lighthouses. In doing so, AutoCE strengthens Europe’s competitiveness, reduces reliance on virgin resources, advances climate neutrality, and ensures a just and inclusive transition for workers and SMEs.