
Photo courtesy of BIR
Susie Burrage, managing director at U.K.-based Recycled Products Ltd, and Dhawal Shah, partner at India-based Metco Ventures LLP, were reelected for a second two-year term as Bureu of International Recycling (BIR) president and treasurer, respectively.
The pair were reelected at BIR’s latest general assembly May 27, which was part of the BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition in Valencia, Spain, May 26-28.
Burrage said one of her most meaningful achievements as president has been in reinforcing the BIR Secretariat through the recruitment of five young professionals to provide greater capacity to serve the membership and extend the global reach of the organization’s work. Burrage also helped launch the BIR Academy.
“The Academy, which has been hard at work with several projects, will ensure that knowledge, skills and leadership can be passed on to a new generation of recyclers—fresh blood and fresh thinking for an industry that thrives on regeneration,” she said.
Burrage applauded the elevation of BIR’s Plastics Committee to full division status, which she referred to as “a milestone that rightly recognizes the growing importance of plastics recycling around the world.”
She highlighted the success of the organization’s first-ever Textiles Circularity Conference in September 2024, which attracted more than 100 participants from 24 countries.
“This pioneering conference shone a well-deserved spotlight on circular economy developments within the textiles recycling sector, one of the most dynamic and promising frontiers in our industry,” she said.
Over the last two years, BIR released global position papers to affirm its stance on free trade, extended producer responsibility (EPR) and chemical recycling and launched the BIR Business Digest to help members facing complex regulations and policies. BIR released The Recyclist, its first-ever member and stakeholder magazine to share organization news, member successes and critical global updates.
“In just one year, we’ve nearly doubled our LinkedIn followers, growing from 9,000 to over 17,000 and increased our posting activity by 45 percent,” Burrage said. “These numbers are not just metrics—they’re a sign that our messages are reaching more people and influencing more stakeholders than ever before.
“It is in our DNA to adapt, to lead and to innovate, and in the last two years, we have fully embraced that responsibility—not just to remain relevant, but to actively shape global sustainability through our work in recycling.”
BIR recently began hosting its biannual convention at convention centers rather than hotels, a move Shah noted in his Treasurer’s Review. This switch has allowed the organization to host more attendees, which, coupled with sustained member growth, resulted in a financially successful 2024 for BIR, according to Shah.
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