Furniture Upholstery from Recycled Waste

Tessutica, which belongs to Belgium-based Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.), has announced a new product line: “Greencare” is the company’s new collection with 100 percent recycled and recyclable upholstery fabrics. After use, the fabrics can be recycled into pellets again. According to the information, “Greencare” is certified under the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) label. The fabrics […]

New Member

Portugal-based company Intraplás, Indústria Transformadora de Plásticos, S.A. has joined the organization Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS). As reported, Intraplás has over 50 years of experience in extrusion, thermoforming and printing in the packaging sector for the food industry, specialized in the dairy sector. They join fellow SCS members, including COEXPAN, ELIX Polymers, Exiba, Greiner Packaging, […]

Fluorescent Markers Poised to Address Sorting Challenges

A recent Greenpeace report claiming that some US companies are incorrectly labeling plastic products as recyclable reinforces the urgent need for improved sorting and identification solutions. As the report points out, many MRFs (Materials Recovery Facility) only accept PET and HDPE due to insufficient processing capabilities, a situation for which there now is a ground-breaking […]

Wrap Film Made from Recycled Material

Polish company FOL-GOS is offering ecological stretch films suitable for wrapping waste, which are made of recycled materials and are recyclable as well. As reported, the multilayer structure of the products (stretch-ability: 50 to 70 percent) ensures high barrier properties. Furthermore, the films are dedicated to all types of wrappers available on the market. FOL-GOS […]

PUR-Recycling towards a Smart Circular Economy

The European PUReSmart project, which started in January 2019 and will end in December 2022, explores new methods, technologies and approaches in order to transform polyurethane (PU) into a circular material. The project consortium consists of nine partners and develops smart sorting technologies to separate a diverse range of PU materials into dedicated feedstocks; these […]

Indonesia’s Multistakeholder Action Plan

In April this year the national strategy document “Radically Reducing Plastic Pollution in Indonesia: A Multistakeholder Action Plan” was published. As reported by World Economic Forum, the plan lays out an evidence-based roadmap towards reducing the amount of plastic leakage into the country’s coastal waters by 70 percent by 2025, as well as achieving near-zero […]

Decreasing Lithium-Ion Battery Prices Presents Opportunities

The Irish company Research and Markets has added the report “Global Battery Recycling Market 2020-2028” to its offering. According to the analysis, this global market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.10 percent from 2020 to 2028. It is boosted by increasing concerns among countries on battery waste disposal […]

The Global Metal Recycling Market

The rising demand for recycled metals in automotives along with the building and construction sector are driving the purchase interest, says market research and consulting company Reports and Data. The global metal recycling market is forecast to grow at a rate of 7.0 percent – in terms of value – from 2020 to reach 86.11 […]

After the Covid-19 Pandemic: Visions for Economic Recovery

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated communities and economies around the world through the global decline in demand, disruptions in value chains and a deterioration in financial conditions. Governments around the world are taking measures to cope with the economic damage. The most frequently mentioned way to do this is sustainability and environmental protection. According to […]

BIR’s Global eForum: Business Activity despite the Virus

The lockdown and the social distance requirements because of the coronavirus pandemic had prevented the BIR convention in Istanbul in May – but the Bureau of International Recycling has found a solution. To inform its members about the latest developments, the global eForum was created. The series of online webinars ran from June 3 to […]

Even amid the Chaos, We Must Act Responsibly

We cannot prevent natural disasters. But we can keep a cool head and ensure that the clean-up work focuses on recycling the materials. Every day, a natural disaster of some magnitude strikes somewhere on Earth. In just moments, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions can destroy what has taken decades to build. In addition, the […]

SCIP – The New ECHA-Database for Substances of Concern

SCIP stands for “substances of concern in products” and is a new database that will be set up by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and will be accessible in all Member States of the European Union (EU). It is planned to feed it with information on “substances of concern” in products. This information will be […]

BIR Global eForum – Shredder Committee: BIR Survey to Shed Light on Top Safety Hazards within Shredder Operations

The BIR Shredder Committee was “very excited” about its first-ever membership survey into shredder-related incidents and injuries, reported its Chairman Alton Scott Newell III of Newell Recycling Equipment in the USA. The questionnaire, the launch of which coincided with the committee’s first-ever eForum session on June 9, would be conducted at the start of every […]

BIR Global eForum – Plastics: Demand-Pull Measures Crucial to Recycling Industry’s Survival

Demand for recycled plastics has been “very weak”, “huge” stocks are overhanging the market and many companies are struggling with “a lack of liquidity”, while at the same time low oil values have driven down prime plastic prices. The end result, according to BIR Plastics Committee Chairman Henk Alssema of Vita Plastics in the Netherlands, […]

BIR Global eForum – Tyres and Rubber: Renewed Threat to Crumb Rubber Use as Infill in Sports Pitches

With impeccable timing, the BIR Tyres & Rubber Committee hosted its first-ever eForum on the day after a high-level committee called for use of crumb rubber as infill for sports pitches to be prohibited. On June 10, the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) recommended a complete ban on the use of microplastics […]