Environmentally friendly solutions and economic benefits are not incompatible. This is what the RESPECT-project, supported by the EU LIFE-Environment aid programme has proved. The main goal of the project was to demonstrate that the re-usage of car parts on a large scale is economically, ecologically and technically possible. Nearly 80 per cent of all car damage can be repaired this way.

An important amount, as ca. 25 per cent of all residues from damaged cars is hazardous waste which is then stored in landfills, leading to soil and water pollution. Today, the RESPECT-project has found a practical solution to the problem. Achmea, a car insurance company in the Netherlands, launched an insurance policy in which the car damage claims are being repaired with used car parts. More than 80,000 Green Insurance Policies have now been sold, and some 6 000 repairs were carried out with used parts.

More information in the LIFE-Environment database:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/life/cgi/life_frame.pl?prog=ENV