In this study, the author compared the trends of the discussions on the reform of automobile recycling businesses and systems in Japan and Poland. Poland is an EU nation, where there are no country-origin automakers and the country imports numerous used vehicles from Germany and other countries. The author believes that the unique nature of Japan’s automobile recycling system will emerge through this comparison. In 2020, the global industry suffered serious damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. The author also examined the kind of impact the pandemic had on the changes in Japanese and EU regulations. The first wave of the pandemic had a great impact on the automobile recycling （or dismantling） businesses in both Japan and Poland. Nevertheless, these businesses, as an essential work sector, have not faced financial difficulties, partly due to the higher prices of scrap metal in 2020. However, the difficulty in securing end-of-life-vehicles （ELVs） still remains a common issue in both countries amid declining new car sales due to semiconductor shortages as well as active deals in the used car market.

Meanwhile, in EU nations, issues in recycling automobile shredder residue （ASR） are not considered social problem. Instead, issues on missing vehicles and distinctions between used car and ELVs are still discussed in the EU: these issues were discussed in Japan for more than 10 years. Notably, issues for the informal sector in Poland are more serious than those in Japan. As a result, in Poland, many ELVs are not delivered to certified recyclers who run their businesses legally.