Industry looks to strengthen international standards

During a Paper division meeting at the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) 2025 World Recycling Convention in Valencia, Spain, the message to attendees was that in the face of tariffs and economic nationalism, recyclers must continue to strengthen specifications and promote recyclables as essential.

The May 27 meeting included presentations covering recovered paper markets, legislative developments and shipping and logistics challenges.

Brian Henesey, vice president of Commerce City, Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Recycling Inc., said the recycling industry was built on a foundation of “global interdependence.”

”Without our industry, there is not decarbonization, there is not circularity.” – Brian Henesey, vice president, Rocky Mountain Recycling Inc.

“Yet, today, we’re witnessing a steady erosion of that framework,” he said. “Tariffs, export bans and nationalistic policies are challenging the very foundations of our cross-border trade. This is not just an economic issue. It’s the future of sustainability, circular economies and, frankly, global cooperation.”

Henesey emphasized that the recycling industry is built on “a finely tuned web of global interdependence” that is being strained by tariffs, export bans and “regulatory divergence.”

“For decades, the system has allowed material to flow efficiently from where it’s discarded to where it’s needed,” he said. “From the [U.S.] to Southeast Asia ... from Latin America to India, these cross-border flows have enabled economies to grow, manufacturers to access affordable inputs and communities to reduce waste and pollution.

“But that system is now under growing strain and, make no mistake, this isn’t just about economics. It’s about the long-term viability of the circular economy.”

The first way the industry can address these concerns, according to Henesey, is by continuing to strengthen international standards as well as to promote recyclable materials as essential, combating the notion that these materials are “waste.”

“Without our industry, there is not decarbonization, there is not circularity,” Henesey continued.

Several industry representatives also offered insight into global recovered paper markets, with some describing the European market, in particular, as being highly volatile.

“The market is moving much faster,” said Tobias Umpfenbach, director of Germany-based Alba Werstoff Management, specifically highlighting the old corrugated containers market in Europe.

“The volatility became much more than we have been used to from recent periods, and there is a lot of movement within the market. And, of course, what does that result in for us as market players? This results in higher risk exposure for those in the market. It is always challenging that these price hikes and periods of extreme demand that we are faced with are also directly connected or followed by periods where nothing is turning around.”

As far as production, Umpfenbach said Europe has seen some stability, with the packaging industry offsetting a decline in graphic papers.

Simone Scaramuzzi, commercial director at Italian company LCI, said India, Indonesia and Vietnam remain the largest importers from Europe.

He also brought up European mills that are installing or converting machines and questioned if these mills have enough orders to keep running.

“Some of them have already started production, some of them are going to start, some of them are delaying—constantly delaying—but it is a fact that ... 4.12 million [metric tons] are going to be produced in Europe,” Scaramuzzi said. “My question is, do we have all the orders for all these machines?”

Nuria Rubio, sales and customer manager at German transportation company Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, said the world is changing “day by day” and even more so in logistics.

“Working on diversification of trades and partners will mitigate any impact in this disruptive time,” Rubio said.