ReMA urges open intra-North American scrap trade

The president of the Washington-based Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) was among those who testified at early December hearings hosted by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) regarding an upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

ReMA President Robin Wiener testified about what the organization considers the critical role of the recycled materials industry in strengthening North American manufacturing. In that testimony, Wiener indicated that last year, 89 percent of all U.S. imports of recycled materials came from Canada and Mexico.

Wiener said the U.S. recycling industry provides nearly 600,000 jobs and more than $170 billion in economic activity each year as it processes 130 million tons or more of material annually. For example, recycled materials comprise 70 percent of steel produced each year in the U.S. and up to to 85 percent of U.S. aluminum production relies on recycled inputs.

She also emphasized the recycled materials industry’s critical role in North American supply chains and urged the U.S. to maintain duty-free trade in recycled materials, including preserving the USMCA’s existing waste and scrap rules.

Wiener also referred to growing trade challenges tied to the Basel Convention and stressed the importance of continued recognition of ReMA’s ISRI Specifications in her testimony.

ReMA says it applauds the Trump administration for pursuing actions to revitalize U.S. manufacturers and strengthen the supply chains that underpin U.S. national and economic security while it also seeks to protect a stable, tariff-free North American market that keeps recycled materials flowing to manufacturers to support U.S. metals and basic materials production.