A Basel Action Network study links US e-scrap brokers to large exports into Asia and urges regulators, auditors and lawmakers to close oversight gaps. | Nattanan726/Shutterstock
Nonprofit organization Basel Action Network released a report attributing surging US e-scrap exports to Southeast Asia to brokers posing as recyclers but acting mainly as shippers, a “hidden tsunami” the group says should trigger regulatory and certification reviews.
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Illinois-based RDI is banned from e-Stewards certification for two years after an investigation uncovered critical non-conformities in its downstream practices. RDI said the non-conformities are a misunderstanding. | donvictorio/Shutterstock
The Basel Action Network announced a two-year e-Stewards certification ban for RDI Inc., an IT asset disposition company that applied for certification but then withdrew after BAN found “critical nonconformities” in where the company was shipping e-scrap. RDI said it stems from a misunderstanding. Continue Reading
A federal lawmaker has introduced the “Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act,” seeking to diminish U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals via domestic mining, recycling and finding other trade partners. | Joaquin Corbalan/Shutterstock
A federal lawmaker has introduced the “Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act,” seeking to diminish U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals via domestic mining, recycling and finding other trade partners. Continue Reading
An initiative by the Basel Action Network helped stop illegal e-scrap imports in Southeast Asia, the organization said. | Photo by EARTH Thailand / Provided courtesy of BAN
Officials in Malaysia and Thailand seized containers with hundreds of tons of e-scrap illegally imported from the United States earlier this month after tips from the U.S. nonprofit Basel Action Network. Continue Reading
Although on-again, off-again tariffs may exclude resin shipments, market players are seeing no shortage of confusion and consternation. | Avigator Thailand/Shutterstock
After many weeks of shifting narratives and uncertainty, participants in recycled polymer markets are working to navigate a constantly shifting tariff environment, in which buyers and sellers as well as customs officials struggle to align federal mandates with on-the-ground implementation. Continue Reading
After allegations of illegal e-scrap imports, Malaysia’s Department of Environment announced it would improve standard operating procedures and oversight. | Mayday6510/Shutterstock
On the heels of high-profile illegal e-scrap import claims and updates to the Basel Convention, Malaysian officials said they would be tightening operating procedures. Continue Reading
The U.S. expanded export restrictions to China of chip-making equipment and sanctioned 140 companies, the latest moves in a back-and-forth series of export restrictions. | MOLPIX/Shutterstock
As technology trade tensions between China and the U.S. escalate, bans on trading minerals used in producing LED screens, semiconductors, chips and batteries are again putting the recycling sector in the spotlight. Continue Reading
Korea Zinc shareholder Young Poong and private equity firm MBK Partners submitted an unexpected and “uninvited” bid to purchase a majority stake in Korea Zinc in September, which management has been fighting. | Pavel Kapysh/Shutterstock
The power struggle between South Korean smelting company Korea Zinc and a private equity firm that wants to seize control of the company is continuing, with both using press conferences and statements to publicly attack the other’s business decisions. Continue Reading
According to the Basel Action Network, there’s an estimated 816 metric tons of toxic furnace dust illegally in transit from Albania to Thailand. | donvictorio/Shutterstock
The Basel Action Network alerted Thai and South African regulators to the possibility of illegal shipments containing toxic electric arc steel furnace dust collected from pollution control filters in Albania.
The matrix made from recycled e-plastic. | Courtesy of NTU Singapore
Researchers at the Nanyang Technological University-Singapore have come up with a novel product idea for recycled ABS – cell cultures that can be used to grow test tumors. Continue Reading