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The survival of humanity in the upcoming decades will depend on the sustainability of the consumed products. There is a global effort to develop solutions to reduce environmental and energy impacts with the production of these products. This paper presents a careful analysis of automotive recycling and the role of aluminum in the life cycle of these vehicles. It is known that the number of vehicles is getting close to 1 billion units while the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) has also been increasing dramatically throughout the entire planet. The average car has between 30 to 150 kg of aluminum, there is an increasing trend in this amount in exchange of a reduced final weight of the vehicle. Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly without losing its physical-chemical properties. There are two ways of obtaining the metal; one is by the direct extraction of natural resources through the mining of bauxite and the second through its recycling.

It is increasingly urgent to define a technology that allows the replacement current vehicles powered by internal combustion engines by a more sustainable vehicle. There are several technological options such as electric vehicles, hybrids and vehicles powered by biofuels. So far there is no clear methodology for comparing the strengths and weaknesses of these alternative technologies. This paper presents a methodology that aims to compare from a strategic point of view technological alternatives comprehensively prioritizing their impacts throughout the lifecycle thus providing a clearer basis for decision making.