Ecomondo 2023

The 26th edition of the international Italian trade fair on technologies for the circular economy, to be held from 7th to 10th November 2023 at Rimi­ni Expo Center, has announced full capacity already in April. According to the organizer Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), this year’s Ecomondo is the first edition occupying the entire trade fairgrounds. […]

Eco Expo Asia 2023 Concludes Successfully with High Degree of International Participation

Eco Expo Asia 2023 was held in Hong Kong from 26 – 29 October, with some 12,000 visitors from 112 countries and regions as well as over 300 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions making their way to the AsiaWorld-Expo to explore the latest technologies in tackling the ongoing climate crisis. International participation was also […]

Paper Division: Paper Recyclers Should Embrace AI and Consider Carbon Credits

The importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and carbon credits in the future of the paper recycling sector were highlighted to the Paper Division session at the BIR World Recycling Convention in Abu Dhabi on 24 October. Ranjit Baxi, Managing Director of J&H Sales International in the UK and founding President of the Global Recycling Foundation, […]

International Environment Council: BIR Develops EPR Position and Reinforces its Case for the Environmental Benefits of Recycling

The Bureau of International Recycling is formulating a new policy position on extended producer responsibility (EPR) and started the process of issuing a new report on the environmental benefits of recycling, the organisation’s World Recycling Convention in Abu Dhabi has been told. Speaking to the International Environment Council on 23 October, the Trade & Environment […]

International Network to Bring Textile Recycling Pulp to the Market

Renewcell, a Swedish sustain-tech company that developed a patented process, which enables the recycling of cellulosic textile waste, has announced the launch of the CIRCULOSE Supplier Network (CSN). The group currently consists of forty-seven yarn and textile producers helping drive the circular economy forward by enabling a steady supply of CIRCULOSE to the market. The […]

Japan: PET Bottles Produced with Bio-Based Materials

Finland-based company Neste has entered a cooperation with Suntory, ENEOS and Mitsubishi Corporation to enable the production of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) resin made with renewable “Neste RE” on a commercial scale. This material is Neste’s feedstock for polymers production, made entirely from bio-based raw materials such as waste and residues (for example, used cooking oil) […]

Waste at Galapagos: How to Keep the Islands Clean

The Galapagos archipelago is composed of 127 islands, islets and rocks. In 1959, 97 percent of the total emerged surface was appointed National Park. In 2001 the islands were declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. But in 2018, the German Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau described the archipelago as a “paradise in need”: Galapagos is confronted […]

Interview with BIR President Susie Burrage: “The Market for Recycled Materials has Experienced Significant Development and Growth”

At the latest convention of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) in Amsterdam, Susie Burrage was elected as the 23rd President of the global federation. She succeeds Tom Bird, who had completed his four-year term in office. Susie Burrage has committed herself to recycling for many years. She is the fourth generation of her family […]

BB Engineering: Innovations in Air-Texturizing, Spinning and Recycling

At ITMA – one of the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibitions, that took place in June in Milan (Italy) – German company BB Engineering GmbH was an official sub-exhibitor of its parent company, Swiss Oerlikon Group, for the first time. In addition to man-made fiber spinning (VarioFil compact spinning line) and fiber-to-fiber […]

New Investment: ALPLA’s PET Recycling Plant

The Austria-based company invests 60 million Euro in a PET recycling plant in South Africa to recycle around 60,000 tons of PET bottles per year from 2025 onwards. ALPLA is known for developing and producing plastic packaging solutions. Based in Austria, the family company has a long history and more than 30 years of experience. […]

Chemical Recycling “must complement and not compete” with Mechanical Recycling

A robust defence of chemical recycling and its compatibility with mechanical recycling was set out during the Bureau of International Recycling’s World Recycling Convention in Abu Dhabi. Speaking during the Plastics session on 24 October, Carlos Monreal, Founder and Chief Executive of Plastic Energy in Spain, insisted that “chemical recycling is not in competition with […]

FEAD Warns Against Changes

FEAD warns against any changes in the Waste Framework Directive that go beyond the targeted revision proposed by the European CommissionThe European Parliament’s environment committee. The European Parliament’s environment committee published at the end of September its draft report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive […]

Horizon Offers Brighter Prospects for Non-Ferrous Metals Recyclers

Despite a year of recycled non-ferrous metal producer price indices in the US turning negative, the medium to longer term is much brighter, delegates at the BIR convention in Abu Dhabi were told on 24 October. The optimism came from Joe Pickard, chief economist and director of commodities at ISRI, the US recyclers’ organisation who […]

EP ITRE Vote on NZIA Recognises the Full Potential of Net-Zero Technologies and Unlocks the Contributions of the Waste-to-Energy Sector

Today, the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) adopted its position on the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) proposal. ESWET greatly welcomes ITRE’s approach to propose a stand-alone list of net-zero technologies eligible for EU funding and regulatory perks. Fast-tracking permitting procedures will be one of the key enablers in ensuring that the […]

Scrap Sector Looks for Growth as Mills Drive to Green Steel

The consequences for recyclers as the steelmaking industry looks to decarbonise in the coming decades was the major theme during BIR’s Ferrous Division session at the Abu Dhabi convention on 23 October. Guest speaker Kedar Joshi, markets manager (Asia) for Davis Index, asserted “the revolution is here and we are all part of it”. Mr […]