During today’s General Assembly, BIR President Susie Burrage OBE announced the publication of the organisation’s 2023 Annual Report.
The publication highlights the impressive array of initiatives undertaken by BIR during her first year in office while also providing a commodity-by-commodity review of global recycling market developments in 2023 and of the impact of legislation and geopolitical turbulence.
In addition to the President’s personal perspectives on 2023, the Annual Report contains contributions from BIR Director General Arnaud Brunet and Treasurer Dhawal Shah, as well as reports from BIR’s special committees covering its ambassadors, communications, conventions and membership.
Last year was a particularly special one for BIR as it marked the world body’s 75th anniversary – a milestone celebrated throughout 2023, most notably at its record-breaking World Recycling Conventions in Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi. But as detailed in the Annual Report, the priority for BIR continued to be seeking out new and more effective means of representing the interests of the recycling industry and of furthering the cause of recycling in general.
BIR’s key initiatives included: an expansion of the advocacy team to strengthen its work in defending the interests of the recycling industry among legislators and policy-makers; a renewed focus on the production of position papers to convey the organization’s main messages on subjects of profound relevance to the recycling industry; and a boost to its communications efforts, with a marketing agency brought on board and the groundwork laid for a new membership magazine.
At the same time, BIR maintained established activities such as the continuous monitoring of market trends in order to provide accurate and relevant information to its members and stakeholders, notably through the regular release of Mirror publications covering a wide range of commodities as well as the Latin American market.
The global organization’s forward-thinking and outward-looking approach is clearly resonating with recyclers around the world: as revealed in the 2023 Annual Report, BIR membership maintained the strong growth recorded in 2022, with a total of 195 new members welcomed into its ranks to push the total to 991 drawn from 69 countries.
Recyclers also endorsed BIR’s renowned Convention programme by attending its two major events last year in record numbers, with Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi attracting, respectively, a truly remarkable 1672 and 1100 participants. The fact that 28% of the delegates in Amsterdam were attending a BIR Convention for the very first time offers a sure sign that the organization’s Convention programmes are absolutely in sync with the needs of today’s recycling industry.
“While 2023 was a year of celebration for BIR on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, our world organization remained supremely vigilant in addressing the many challenges facing our industry, particularly with regard to safeguarding free and fair trade globally in the huge range of materials we handle,” commented Ms Burrage. “Once again, BIR has demonstrated its commitment to promoting sustainable practices globally and to highlighting the recycling industry’s crucial role in reducing waste, conserving resources and mitigating climate change. Our constant goal must be to build on BIR’s impact and influence in the years to come.”
The release of BIR’s 2023 Annual Report not only showcases the accomplishments of the world organization but also emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability within the recycling industry. Each member company and national association will receive one hard copy of the Annual Report in the coming weeks.
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