MMTA Open Trade and Lobby Committee Meeting, Brussels

Members of the Trade & Lobby Committee, and other members and invited guests, met at the offices of Sidley Austin in central Brussels to discuss a range of key issues around metals recycling and the encouragement of free trade.  The group was treated to 3 high quality presentations from Ross Bartley, the Environmental & Technical Director of BIR, who gave an overview of commodities recycling, Christina Meskers of Umicore Precious Metals Refining, who discussed balancing sustainability and access to raw materials, and Niall Lawler of the European Commission Enterprise & Industry, who presented on the Raw Materials Initiative & Recycling.

What to do with metals when they reach the end of life (EoL) was one of the questions posed by the 3 speakers, who each approached this important issue from a different perspective.  The meeting heard details of the uneven distribution of recycling efforts, as well as the difficulty in creating a level playing field, both within and outside the EU, when costs for both recycling and developing new recycling plants are so high.  Another issue raised was that of products containing minor metals being exported for re-use, particularly to countries without advanced recycling capabilities, and the challenges this poses when trying to manage and control EoL materials and recapture them for recycling purposes. The issue of convincing people to recycle is fundamental, and is currently problematic, for example, glass is almost 100% recycled, so why not mobile phones? Items may be re-used, but no consistency exists on what happens at EoL, and there is currently no real incentive for individuals to change their behaviour.

The core message of the session was consistent: a longer term vision is required.  A total of 41 critical materials have been identified by the Raw Materials Initiative & Recycling survey, but there remains uncertainty about how this list will impact such areas as import duties and green materials. The meeting heard that environmental issues should be given consideration from the mine onwards, not just at the point of import.  All metals have a green function, not just in reducing pollution, but also in increasing the durability of the products they contribute to.

Following the meeting, the Chairman, Charles Swindon of RJH Trading, thanked all those who had attended the meeting and Sidley Austin for their generous sponsorship and hosting of the event.  He said that he felt the Trade & Lobby Committee was now set to make real progress. It was agreed that lots of valuable information had been shared on a critical area and one that is a challenge to the MMTA as well as the minor metals sector at large.  After the meeting, attendees enjoyed a wonderful dinner at La Maison du Cygne in the centre of Brussels.

The Trade & Lobby Committee also wishes to welcome André Clodong as a new member. At EcoMundo, André is responsible for international business development, regulatory monitoring and liaison with EU and US institutions, and links to trade federations such as the MMTA and the US Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates.  Before joining EcoMundo in 2009, André was an adviser on European affairs to a number of corporations and trade associations in the aerospace, chemical, energy and transport sectors, after having spent 15 years in public affairs with a large US industrial corporation in Canada and Europe.

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