Resource security to dictate BIR’s 2026 agenda, says Brunet

Current geopolitical developments are shifting the way materials move and how our industry operates, according to Arnaud Brunet, director-general at the Bureau of International Recycling.

‘Resource security is now a matter of national importance and, because of this, our work in advocacy is more critical than ever,’ he says is a New Year’s video message to the organisation’s 1 100 members.

Standing in the freezing cold outside BIR’s office in Brussels, Brunet says ‘we will continue to defend your interests, from the Basel convention to the Global Plastics Treaty, ensuring our industry stays at the heart of the global economy.’

New destinations

Brunet believes that 2026 will also herald what he calls ‘new experiences together’. ‘I am particularly excited about our world recycling conventions this year because we are offering you two brand new destinations.’

The global recycling community will first meet in Gothenburg, Sweden in early June. The city hosting the October convention will be announced soon, says the dg. ‘What I already can share is that it will be in a warmer place than where I am now.’