Trade expert: Race for resources will transform recycling industry

The global recycling industry could well benefit from the rising demand for secondary materials as global power dynamics and trade structures undergo revolutionary change, delegates heard at the Bureau of International Recycling’s World Recycling Convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to trade expert Juan Verde, who advised US presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, the global sustainability agenda ‘is not under threat’. Instead, he said, ‘it is being re-labelled,’ with recycling remaining a critical part of the new industrial landscape.

Historic crossroads

‘We are at a historic crossroads,’ Verde told delegates. ‘The rules that once applied to free trade and the global economy are no longer valid. We are witnessing the birth of a new world order that will have a significant impact on your industry in particular.’

The trade expert is seeing a major shift in geopolitical power, mainly boosted by the rise of China along with emerging trends in technology, supply chains, conflicts and protectionism.

Great future

One major consequence of all this, Verde argued, is a race for resources – especially critical materials essential for emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and space technology. ‘This is transforming the world economy and it will transform your industry in ways we cannot yet fully understand,’ he said, adding that he believes a promising future lies ahead for sustainability and recycling.

Verde also highlighted the growing trend of regionalisation and ‘friend-shoring’, with major economies like the US reshoring key industries to secure supply chains. This new protectionism, he expects, will force countries to invest big money to ramp up their recycling capacity.

Sustainability reframed

Despite political uncertainty, Verde said the long-term direction of the green transition remains intact. ‘The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House – a president who does not believe in climate change – does not change the direction,’ he said. ‘It changes the speed at which this green revolution is taking place.’

‘Sustainability is not being phased out,’ Verde said. ‘It is being re-labelled. I could not be more bullish about your sector, or more optimistic that you are in the right industry at the right time.’