BIR spring convention 2026: The push to recognize recycled plastic and rubber as strategic raw materials

During the Bureau of International Recycling’s (BIR’s) recently held World Recycling Convention & Exhibition in Gothenburg, Germany, Plastics Division President Henk Alssema told delegates that recycled plastics should be recognized as a “strategic, sustainable raw material” that creates a more resilient economy, not a “temporary solution when virgin materials become expensive.”