{"id":7835,"date":"2024-11-25T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T05:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=7835"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:55:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:55:25","slug":"bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"BIR: Trade Restrictions Jeopardize Global Recycling Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bir.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Bureau for International Recycling (BIR)<\/a>, representing over 30,000 companies across 73 nations, has raised concerns about the adverse effects of restrictive trade policies on recycled materials. A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bir.org\/images\/uploads\/publications\/BIR_Position_Paper_Free_Trade.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">position paper<\/a>, approved by the World Council of Recycling Associations in Singapore, highlights how these trade barriers undermine the recycling industry\u2019s potential to drive sustainable practices worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress\/#The_Economic_and_Environmental_Impact_of_Trade_Barriers\" >The Economic and Environmental Impact of Trade Barriers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress\/#Recycling_Sector_Underrepresented_in_Policy_Making\" >Recycling Sector Underrepresented in Policy Making<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress\/#The_Path_Forward_Collaboration_and_Representation_for_Global_Recycling\" >The Path Forward: Collaboration and Representation for Global Recycling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/bir-trade-restrictions-global-recycling-progress\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Economic_and_Environmental_Impact_of_Trade_Barriers\"><\/span><strong>The Economic and Environmental Impact of Trade Barriers<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Global trade in recycled materials, valued at <strong>$ 130 billion in 2019<\/strong>, plays a critical role in fostering circular economies. However, government interventions, such as export quotas, bans, and excessive taxes, are putting businesses, jobs, and recycling rates at risk. BIR mentions that these measures often arise from a desire to address <strong>local environmental concerns<\/strong> or promote <strong>domestic recycling sectors<\/strong> but end up creating unintended consequences.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The paper highlights that these policies aimed at reducing waste exports, while well-intentioned, often trap materials in regions with insufficient recycling capacity, preventing them from reaching economies that can process them efficiently. This mismatch is believed to <strong>disrupt global recycling efforts <\/strong>and<strong> reduce overall recycling rates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recycling_Sector_Underrepresented_in_Policy_Making\"><\/span><strong>Recycling Sector Underrepresented in Policy Making<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the major challenges identified by the BIR is the <strong>recycling industry\u2019s limited representation in decision-making forums<\/strong>. Policymakers often lack the expertise to align regulations with the industry&#8217;s capabilities and objectives. As a result, <strong>regulatory environments become unpredictable<\/strong>, preventing long-term investments, essential for advancements in recycling technologies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The paper argues that the recycling sector\u2019s influence should extend beyond discussions about circular economies to broader trade and environmental policies. <strong>Proper representation is crucial to prevent barriers that can undermine global environmental goals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7836\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vecteezy_logistic-business-with-group-of-logistic-trailer-trucks-and_51742962-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"global recycling progress - trailer trucks with stack of containers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Path_Forward_Collaboration_and_Representation_for_Global_Recycling\"><\/span><strong>The Path Forward: Collaboration and Representation for Global Recycling<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To ensure that recycling contributes effectively to global environmental goals, the <strong>BIR calls for a more predictable regulatory environment and the removal of unnecessary trade barriers<\/strong>. Governments must consult recycling industry experts to design policies that balance local priorities with global sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">BIR\u2019s paper explains how restrictive trade policies are a significant obstacle to global recycling efforts and the broader transition to sustainable circular economies. By amplifying the voice of the recycling industry in policy decisions and reducing unnecessary trade barriers, governments can support a global recycling system that benefits the environment and the economy alike. The future of circular economies depends on collaborative efforts to align policy and practice on a global scale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bureau for International Recycling (BIR), representing over 30,000 companies across 73 nations, has raised concerns about the adverse effects of restrictive trade policies on recycled materials. A recent position paper, approved by the World Council of Recycling Associations in Singapore, highlights how these trade barriers undermine the recycling industry\u2019s potential to drive sustainable practices&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-28","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7835"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7842,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7835\/revisions\/7842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}