????推廣電動車時，要呼吁客戶“采取正確做法”可并不容易。威特金說，首先，汽車回收利用業不會為了公眾利益而設法謀求進步；他們的所作所為都有明確的商業利益考慮。據汽車回收協會稱，汽車回收業年凈銷售額高達320億美元。威特金表示：“汽車業的廢舊零部件市場總是興旺發達的。各廠商之所以會用大量金屬、玻璃和易回收材料純屬偶然。汽車其實太容易拆解了，讓人難以置信。”他想補充說明的是，汽車業回收利用的做法絕非刻意為之，不是一種集體努力。

????并不是說汽車業需要具備拯救地球的高尚意圖。鋼鐵要實現持續開采不是不可能，但難度很大，因此鋼鐵可以被回收利用再次牟利。美國地質調查局（The United States Geological Survey）1月稱，汽車回收業從報廢車上回收了1,550多萬噸鋼，大概相當于1,190萬輛汽車的價值。

????但是，這個行業可能還是有不想自曝家丑的地方。據美國環保署（EPA）稱，因為汽車回收企業的存在，有2,500萬噸廢舊汽車材料沒倒進垃圾填埋場。也就是說，有500萬噸被拆解搗碎了。被搗碎機處理過的這500萬噸肥料包括各種無法重復利用的材料：纖維、塑料、玻璃、橡膠和各類金屬。

????一旦汽車企業看起來有違環保目標，就有可能招致消費者的強烈抗議。比如，2002年福特汽車（Ford）為它位于底特律的胭脂河工廠建成了一個生態屋頂。可是，宣傳這個屋頂卻引來了大家一片反對聲——因為福特同時還在與加州的燃油里程數法規大搞拉鋸戰，而這個法規本來是旨在控制溫室氣體排放的。奧爾森表示，環保團體因此認為福特言行不一，虛偽至極，因此對它大加抨擊。

????從長遠看，如果汽車企業能生產出油耗更低的車，同時美國消費者發現這些企業的環保作為更令人信服的話，那他們再推銷自己的環保目標時就會容易些。

????麻煩在于，用來生產使用代用燃料汽車的各種新材料可能會使回收過程變得更為復雜。威特金稱：“混合動力的燃料電池或任何使用非化石燃料的車回收利用起來都非常困難，而且可能含有更多的有毒物質。”

????不過，他補充道，歐盟正在通過一項法令，使汽車企業對產品的整個生命周期負責。因此汽車業需要不僅能生產出效率更高的車，還要能讓汽車在送到報廢場時保持環保。（財富中文網）

????譯者：清遠

????Appealing to "the right thing to do" is tough in this case. First of all, says Wertkin, the auto recycling industry didn't evolve for the public good; there was a solid business case for the effort. According to the Automotive Recycler's Association, the car recycling industry nets $32 billion in sales annually. "There's always been a thriving used part market in automotives," Wertkin says. "By happenstance, they use a ton of metal and glass and easily recyclable stuff. Cars are unbelievably dismantle-able," he adds, which is a coincidence, not a concerted effort.

????Not that the industry needs to have the best intentions to help the Earth. Steel, which is difficult if not impossible to mine sustainably, can be repurposed for a profit. The United States Geological Survey reported in January that the automotive recycling industry recycled more than 15.5 million tons of steel from junked cars, which is about 11.9 million vehicles' worth.

????But there is still a messy underbelly that the industry might not want to highlight. According to the EPA, auto recyclers prevent 25 million tons of materials from reaching landfills. That being said, 5 million tons still get trashed. Those 5 million tons consist of everything sent through the shredder that can't be reused: fabrics, plastics, glass, rubber, and various metals.

????Companies can invite consumer backlash when they seem to have conflicting green goals. For example, in 2002, Ford (F) completed a green roof for its River Rouge factory near Detroit. But efforts to promote its green roof generated negative responses -- the company was also, simultaneously, fighting gas mileage regulation in California, which was intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups came down hard on Ford for what they saw as hypocrisy, says Olson.

????Going forward, car companies will have an easier time promoting their green goals as they make cars that burn less fossil fuels, and the American consumer finds green efforts more compelling.

????The catch is that an influx of materials used to build cars that burn alternative fuel might complicate the recycling process. "Hybrid fuel cells or any non-fossil fuel vehicles are way more difficult to recycle and reuse and reclaim, and have many more potentially toxic substances," says Wertkin.

????But, he adds, as with consumer electronics, the European Union is passing regulation that holds car companies accountable for the entire lifecycle of the product. The industry will need to figure out not only how to make more efficient cars, but how to keep them green once they hit the junkyard.