Recycling and circularity are at the heart of Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and Circular Economy Action Plan (CEA). Photovoltaic modules contain valuable materials, yet current recycling practices achieve only a fraction of their potential. Our latest research, presented at EUPVSEC 2025, shows how advanced methods can move from theoretical recyclability to realistic technical recycling rates—critical for ecodesign, digital product passports, and future PV sustainability. QUASAR is taking this further with pilot tests on pyrolysis and water-jet delamination, paving the way for higher recovery rates and true circularity in the PV value chain.
Summary
High-quality recyclability calculations are essential for ecodesign, product labelling, and digital product passports under EU policy frameworks such as CRMA and CEA. Current standards (EN 45555) often rely on simplified assumptions due to missing data, which can lead to unrealistic recyclability values. This study addresses two key challenges:
- Lack of material-specific recycling rate data
- Lack of differentiation in recycling quality
bifa expand their existing recycling rate database and apply it to PV module recycling. They introduce four recycling categories, including the ability to utilize recovered materials in new PV modules for the “circular” category
Technical recyclability was calculated for five scenarios, ranging from 18% (worst-case mechanical recycling) to 80% (advanced recycling facilities). However, even the best-case scenario achieves only ~5% circular share, highlighting the need for improved design and infrastructure.
This work is highly relevant to QUASAR’s mission of enabling circularity in the PV value chain. Upcoming QUASAR batch tests will further refine recycling rate data for two innovative recycling pilots: pyrolysis and water-jet delamination. These results will support:
- Benchmarking recycling technologies
- Improving ecodesign for PV modules
- Realistic estimates of secondary raw material production
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