IRT Webinar Review: The Future of Automotive Plastics Recycling – An Industry at a Crossroads

As the conversation around AI accelerates, Conrad Caine is focused on one question: how can artificial intelligence deliver practical, measurable value in real-world industries like vehicle recycling?

Conrad is the Founder of MACHINES LIKE ME, an AI automation company that designs and deploys AI agents to transform manual operational and administrative tasks into reliable, scalable end-to-end automation. Working with organisations across sectors, he helps connect data, systems and workflows to streamline operations, reduce operating costs and improve quality, turning AI from theory into tangible business performance.

At a conference themed Auto Recycling Intelligence, Conrad’s session will address both the opportunity and the scepticism surrounding AI in the vehicle recycling sector. What is AI really? What can it genuinely automate, and what should remain firmly human-led?

He will explore practical applications for vehicle recyclers, from process optimisation and data handling to workflow automation, while making clear that AI is a support tool, not a replacement for industry expertise.

Blending philosophy with practical examples, Conrad will demystify artificial intelligence, challenge common misconceptions and show how vehicle recyclers can adopt AI confidently, improving efficiency without losing the human intelligence that drives the sector.

As lithium batteries become a defining feature of end-of-life vehicles, Alan Colledge is helping the UK recycling sector adapt safely and at scale. As Technical Director of Lithium Battery Recycling Solutions (SUEZ), Alan leads the safe collection, handling and recycling of lithium batteries, with a particular focus on traction batteries from the automotive and wider mobility markets.

Alan is a fourth-term Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) and has spent over 33 years in the waste industry. Since 2012, he has been at the centre of developing practical, compliant solutions for lithium battery management, work that helped establish one of the UK’s first dedicated battery workshops in 2017 and, in September 2022, one of the country’s first waste battery plants designed to recover materials via mechanical shredding and separation.

At a vehicle recycling conference, this topic is moving rapidly from “emerging” to “urgent”. Alan’s presentation explores what ATFs and recyclers need to know now: the real-world challenges of collection, transport and storage; the handling risks associated with damaged or unknown-state batteries; and the operational and commercial conditions the sector is likely to face over the next decade as EV volumes rise.

He’ll also share news of SUEZ’s latest investment in battery recycling,  and what it could mean for UK capacity, downstream routes and future collaboration with ATFs.

As electrification reshapes the automotive sector, the financial logic behind vehicles is changing just as rapidly as the technology itself. Mark Main brings a strategic asset and valuation perspective to this transformation, helping the industry understand what electric vehicles truly cost, not just to buy and run, but to recover, repair, recycle and retire.

A Director at EY LLP in London and the firm’s UK&I Transport and Logistics Leader within its Mobility practice, Mark specialises in capital equipment valuation and asset lifecycle advisory.

With more than 20 years’ experience across automotive, fleet and leasing, he supports organisations with residual value modelling, portfolio strategy, financial reporting and total cost of ownership analysis.

In this session, Mark will explore how traditional TCO models must now incorporate end-of-life risk, battery uncertainty and disposal obligations. For Authorised Treatment Facilities, this has real implications, from the economics of EV dismantling and material recovery to the operational challenges of recovering and storing damaged electric vehicles after accidents.

He will also examine the growing need to reskill technicians to manage high-voltage systems safely, connecting financial exposure with operational readiness. The result is a clear-eyed view of how electrification is redefining asset risk, lifecycle value and long-term profitability across the vehicle recycling ecosystem.

Hans Eric Melin is the Founder and Managing Director of CES Research and Consulting, a London-based research and advisory firm recognised globally for its expertise in lithium-ion battery lifecycle management, with a particular focus on reuse, recycling, and end-of-life value chains. Since 2017, CES has become a primary source of data-driven insight on the rapidly evolving battery circular economy, supporting stakeholders across industry, finance, and policy.

Prior to founding CES, Hans Eric served as Vice President of Market Development at Battery Solutions, then the largest battery recycler in the United States, where he worked on scaling recycling capacity and developing downstream markets. Earlier, he was CEO of Refind Technologies, a technology company developing AI-based sorting systems for battery recycling facilities.

Through his research and advisory work, Hans Eric has been instrumental in shaping industry understanding of structural challenges and opportunities within battery circularity. His analysis has highlighted issues such as China’s central role in battery reuse, recycling, and materials refining; the global trade in used battery-containing products; and the outsized influence of ownership models, consumer behaviour, and regulation on battery lifetimes, often exceeding purely technical constraints.

Hans Eric’s insights have been published in leading scientific journals, including Science and Nature, and are frequently cited by international media such as Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. He is a regular keynote speaker and moderator at major conferences across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Hans Eric holds a BSc in Communication Studies and Business Administration from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and is based between London and Vienna.

Leon van der Merwe brings a senior OEM perspective to one of the most important shifts facing the vehicle recycling sector: the move towards a fully integrated circular economy. A highly experienced automotive leader, Leon has held major executive roles across retail, aftermarket and manufacturing. From serving as Managing Director of Kwik Fit South Africa to leading product and services strategy in Europe, and later holding senior positions with First Stop and Bridgestone Europe, his career spans the breadth of the automotive value chain.

Since joining Toyota Motor Europe in 2014, Leon has led After Sales before expanding his responsibilities to cover the entire Value Chain. In 2019, he moved into manufacturing as Vice President of Supply Chain, Manufacturing Support and Production Control, guiding operations through Brexit and Covid. In July 2023, he created two new strategic functions, Circular Economy and Energy Business, reinforcing Toyota’s long-term commitment to sustainability and new mobility models

For vehicle recycling, this signals a fundamental shift. OEMs are increasingly designing vehicles with reuse, remanufacture and material recovery in mind and seeking structured collaboration with recyclers.

Leon’s session will explore how circular economy strategy is influencing vehicle design, dismantling processes, data transparency and material flows, and what this means for auto recyclers aiming to position themselves as trusted partners within an OEM-led, end-to-end value chain.

Mary Creagh CBE MP is the Labour Member of Parliament for Coventry East and was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature) at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in July 2024. In this role, she leads on the circular economy, including driving waste reduction, improving resource efficiency, and developing a new, more sustainable cross-government circular economy strategy, helping to accelerate progress towards a more resilient, recycling-led economy.

With more than two decades at the heart of the UK insurance sector, Paul Sell brings a deep understanding of how claims economics directly influence the vehicle repair and recycling markets.

Paul spent 23 years with Aviva, leading a range of commercial roles across partnerships and claims supply chain. After working closely with vehicle manufacturers, he transitioned into Claims Supply Chain, ultimately becoming Head of Supply Chain with responsibility for supplier relationships across all product lines. His experience spans procurement strategy, repair networks, cost control and operational performance, insight that is increasingly relevant to Authorised Treatment Facilities navigating insurer-led decisions.

Since leaving Aviva seven years ago, Paul has worked independently with innovative businesses, including RightIndem and Service Certainty, while providing consultancy to insurers and manufacturers through Industry Insights. He also played a key role in the acquisition and leadership of Trend Tracker, which now delivers regular market intelligence and analysis to the motor claims and repair sector.

In his session, Paul will explore the trends shaping the Motor Vehicle Repair Market, from repair-versus-write-off decisions and parts pressures to insurer behaviour and market cycles. For ATFs, these dynamics directly affect vehicle volumes, salvage values and end-of-life flows. Delegates will gain a clearer picture of where the market is heading and what it means for the future of vehicle recycling.

With more than four decades in automotive engineering, Andrew Marsh brings rare depth and straight-talking clarity to the challenges now facing vehicle recycling. An engineering graduate since 1984, Andrew spent over 20 years inside major OEMs before moving into a second career phase with Thatcham Research.

In 2011, he founded AutoBody Bible Ltd to deliver bodyshop-focused repair intelligence, and in 2026 he begins a new business venture. A respected technical commentator, he writes for leading bodyshop publications and is a Fellow of both the IMI and the IAEA.

A regular international presenter, Andrew speaks at industry events around the world and is also a familiar voice to our audience, having previously presented at our conferences.

In this session, Andrew will examine China’s growing influence on the European automotive market and why this matters directly to Authorised Treatment Facilities. As Europe moves toward 2030, will China’s manufacturing strength reshape volumes, vehicle types and parts availability, and what could that mean for ATF profitability and compliance?

Andrew will cut through the headlines to explore how Chinese industrial policy, European regulation and high energy costs combine to impact end-of-life vehicle flows. Crucially, he will set out the potential “win or lose” implications for ATFs,  from changing dismantling demand and material values to new operational pressures, emerging opportunities and the strategic steps ATFs can take to stay ahead.