Convention right to their office and to their teams,” said Scott Rob- ertson. “This virtual training event was the launching pad for ARA to launch other online training, webi- nars, facility tours and more.”
PUBLICATION CHANGE-UP In late spring of 2021, ARA was honored to be chosen by longtime industry supporter and
ARA Honorary Lifetime Member Mike French as the future publisher of Auto Recycler’s ToolBox®
Magazine.
“Mike and his family have been strong supporters of ARA and this industry for as long as I can remember,” said Executive Director, Sandy Blalock. “ARA is humbled that Mike would choose to transfer ToolBox®, the Virtual Auto Recycler Trade Show™
and
their websites over to ARA upon his semi-retirement. Our leadership and staff are committed to preserving the integrity of these communication platforms and incorpo- rating them into the Association’s overarching communi- cations strategy to promote the industry at-large and ROE – Recycled Original Equipment®
is repaired.” The FTC policy statement specifically focuses on targeting enforce- ment of the Magnu- son-Moss Warranty Act and other repair restrictions that vio- late antitrust laws or use deceptive practices.
Also, ARA strongly opposed Subaru’s published posi- tion statement that misleads consumers and effectively bans the use of safe and economical alternative repair parts. ARA’s opposition was widely covered by industry trade press.
Executive Director Sandy Blalock noted in a press release manufacturer parts.”
The April/May 2021 issue was the first issue published under the ARA. ARA maintained the page count, secured a new printer, grew a larger advertising support base, and retained the writers all in short order.
GROWING OPPORTUNITY FOR ROE® ARA has taken aggressive steps over the past two years to protect and grow the market for ROE – Recycled Original Equipment® parts. The ROE®
brand was trademarked in
2019 as a means to reflect recycled auto parts as OEM parts. This summer, ARA met with the Federal Trade Commission about the unfair and deceptive campaigns undertaken by auto manufacturers to push ROE®
parts out of the
market. Shortly after, the FTC voted to increase enforce- ment against repair restrictions. The unanimous vote (5-0) on a policy statement that prioritizes investigations into unlawful repair restrictions was taken during an open Commission meeting during which ARA and others in the automotive replacement parts industry participated. This FTC decision, coming on the heels of President
Biden’s Executive Order which called on the FTC to insti- tute rules to curb anti-competitive restrictions that limit consumers’ repair choices, sends a strong message to the manufacturers that they are not the only game in town. “The misinformation campaigns and barriers to con- sumer choice that automotive recyclers have fought for years are finally getting recognized at the highest levels of our federal government,” said ARA Executive Director, Sandy Blalock. “We are encouraged by these positive steps forward to restoring consumer choice in how their vehicle
Automotive Recycling
that “Auto Manufacturers have become more aggressive in their efforts to force ROE – Recycled Original Equipment® and aftermarket parts out of the market. These statements and tactics stifle competition, greatly increase costs to con- sumers and in turn, can result in more repairable vehicles being considered uneconomical to repair. Manufacturer repair restrictions have become such a significant issue that both the Biden Administration and FTC have taken unam- biguous steps to increase antitrust and consumer protec- tion enforcement against manufacturer repair restrictions.”
PROTECTING ROE® ARA’s President Scott Robertson Jr. and Executive Director Sandy Blalock testi- fied in several states against harmful legis- lation in the state that would place severe limitations on the utili- zation of ROE®
parts.
Two of the highest profile bills were in Rhode Island and proposed several discriminatory and baseless restrictions on the utilization of ROE®
parts for automotive repairs in
Rhode Island. Restrictions such as requiring that the used part be sourced within a 50-mile radius of a location that is not specified in the bills. Blalock’s testimony pointed out that the bill could very easily be interpreted as an outright ban on the use of used repair parts from any entity outside of Rhode Island and that discriminating against forms of commerce from other states and only permitting insurers to source used parts from businesses within Rhode Island is a violation of interstate commerce law. Another proposed limitation put forward in the bills would limit a vehicle owner’s choice to used OEM parts harvested from a vehicle of the same year or newer. ARA testified that this is impractical and demonstrates a lack of understanding about the many replacement part options
September-October 2021 //65
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