Recycling and Trade
In June this year, at the meeting of the Basel Convention, environmental groups claimed that new rules restricting plastic trade are being ignored. According to a press release, the Basel Action Network (BAN) and member organizations of the Break Free from Plastic movement (BFFP) charged the exporting countries “with failing to uphold the agreements to control plastic waste exports made at the Basel Convention in 2019, which came into force on January 1, 2021”.
However, export restrictions have a problematical reverse side with global impact. This was underlined by Antoine Stilo at the meeting of the International Environment Council during the BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition in May. The Policy Officer at the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) warned that the draft of the EU Waste Shipment Regulation revision – in its current form – would lead to crumbling prices, job losses and many companies going out of the market because it is not profitable anymore. “It’s bad for the circular economy, bad for the recycling industry, bad for recycling, bad for greenhouse gas emissions and bad for environmental protection,” he was quoted by BIR. As reported, he expressed particular concern at the lack of distinction made between green-listed and other wastes, resulting in non-OECD countries wanting to receive the former would be saddled with “a very burdensome administrative procedure”. The apparent political will to retain materials within Europe “could have dramatic economic consequences for European recyclers” given that, without exports beyond the EU, “we don’t have a compensating demand within Europe”, he was cited.
BIR President Tom Bird shares his opinion. During the meeting of the world recycling organization’s latest General Assembly, he highlighted the potentially “disastrous” consequences of proposals for a significantly stricter EU Waste Shipment Regulation, which would directly affect not only Europe’s exporters but also importing businesses around the globe. “This is not just a European problem,” he underlined according to BIR. “Global free trade in recycled raw materials is essential for a truly global circular economy,” he said and urged the attendees “to become involved in this debate, to promote the truth about our industry’s exceptional skills and to challenge misconceptions about what we do.”
International trade of secondary materials is important. Regarding plastics, recyclers are struggling to source sufficient feedstock (page 3), but the present and future market situation is quite promising (pages 5 to 7) and provides many business chances, also owing to the progressing digitization (page 20). There are further opportunities: Vietnam is on the way to a circular economy (page 24) and Rwanda is a forerunner in e-waste recycling (page 27).
We hope you get a lot of new and useful information from reading this current magazine.
Yours, Brigitte Weber
