Circular auto economy eyes formalisation

May 13, 2026

Dear subscriber,

Africa’s end-of-life vehicle economy has long been powered by informal systems that quietly extract value from ageing cars, keeping mobility affordable and parts circulating. Now, original equipment manufacturers are beginning to step into that space, not to replace those systems, but to organise them around traceable, industrial-scale recovery models. The shift sounds straightforward. The reality is more complex. And as vehicles become more electrified, control over what happens after the road may become as important as what happens on it.

Mercy Maina - Editor

Global automotive provider Stellantis has opened its first vehicle dismantling centre in Casablanca, marking its entry into Africa’s end-of-life vehicle economy. The move signals a shift toward original-equipment manufacturer-led circular systems on a continent where vehicle parts and materials recovery remain largely dominated by informal networks.

  • Industry estimates suggest approximately 4.8 million vehicles reach end-of-life annually across Africa, most of which are processed through systems with limited regulation, environmental oversight or formal recovery infrastructure. 

  • Africa’s recovery system – informal and fragmented – offers significant investment opportunities in the transformation to more sophisticated infrastructure and higher-value circular economy capture.  

  • Our take: Competition in the automotive sector is gradually extending beyond manufacturing efficiency to control over secondary markets, particularly certified parts….… Read more (2 min)

As biochar gains popularity in Africa as a waste-to-value soil enhancer, climate and environmental specialist Irene Kisiero warns that its growth is constrained by fragmented regulatory frameworks. She calls for clearer guidance to resolve complexities facing stakeholders across overlapping systems.

  • Ms Kisiero specialises in carbon project development, stakeholder engagement, Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and GIS-based climate solutions across East Africa. Her work focuses on carbon markets and regulatory compliance under Verra and Gold Standard frameworks, with a growing emphasis on climate governance and low-carbon development in Africa. 

  • “Biochar projects do not fit neatly into any single regulatory category. Depending on how a project is structured, it can simultaneously be a waste management operation, an energy producer, and an agricultural input manufacturer,” she says

  • Read the full opinion article here (2 min)

Circular Rising has curated 28 open jobs across Africa’s circular economy this month. Southern Africa dominates the listing with 12 roles, including ten in South Africa alone. East Africa follows with eight positions, while North Africa and West Africa each account for four roles, highlighting a clear Southern Africa concentration in hiring activity. 

  • Interwaste, a South Africa-based integrated waste management company, stands out for having the highest number of openings, with seven roles spanning operations, environmental treatment systems, labour relations and regulatory compliance. 

  • A good number of the roles, around 10, are tied to compliance, environmental oversight and operational governance, suggesting growing regulatory pressure across waste, sanitation, hazardous materials and industrial environmental systems. 

  • Apply for these roles here (2 min)

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Source: Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways and Rubis Energie sign MoU on Africa’s first dedicated SAF refinery  

Events

🗓️ Network at the at the Sustainable Manufacturing Summit 2026 (May 19)

✍️ Learn to turn farm waste into energy at Bio360 Africa, S. Africa (June 17)

📦 Sign up for KEPRO Sustainable Packaging Exchange in Kenya (June 23)

Various 

💰 Bestseller invests $3mn to scale regenerative agriculture in South Africa

✈️ New funding for sustainable aviation fuel project in Egypt 

🚨 UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors 

🗑️ CIOs are paying for a waste problem vendors created 

☹️ Fragmented systems stall Nigeria’s recycling gains despite rising innovation 

🏆 3 startups win challenge on youth-led enterprises driving Africa’s green economy

Seen on LinkedIn 

Benjamin Casteillo, a global sustainability specialist, says, “Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue. It is also a story about manufactured consent, systemic denial, and the comforting myths modern societies tell themselves to avoid confronting harmful realities.”