The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has underlined the growing importance of recycling in global policy, resource management and industrial resilience. During the organisation's General Assembly on 2 June in Gothenburg, Sweden, BIR President Susie Burrage outlined the federation's recent progress in advocacy, communications, education, membership growth and financial performance.

The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) opened its latest world convention on 1 June in Gothenburg, Sweden, with more than 1,700 registered participants representing over 800 companies from 57 countries.

A coordinated plant train from Kleemann forms the core of this process chain, supporting the targeted production of defined aggregate fractions for reuse in asphalt mixing plants. The concept is complemented by application support and service structures within the Wirtgen Group portfolio.

At the meeting, Austria -supported by Germany and Lithuania- highlighted the sharp rise in fire incidents in waste management and recycling facilities caused by improperly disposed lithium waste batteries: 'During the summer of 2025, several major fires occurred in Austria and other Member States, each resulting in damages amounting to millions of euros - despite state-of-the-art fire prevention measures and infrastructure in waste management industries. These incidents highlight a significant and escalating safety risk for workers, severe environmental damage, and substantial economic losses for waste management operators.'

Air pollutants are considered one of the main causes of numerous diseases and pose a significant environmental risk, making it essential to find solutions to mitigate this issue. The DACCO2 project, led by Aimplas, aims to improve urban air quality by significantly reducing pollutants in both indoor and outdoor environments through the development of active coatings capable of directly adsorbing and/or transforming these pollutants into less harmful compounds.

A new coalition on green public procurement (GPP) — Buy Better to Build Better (BBBB) — has been launched on May 20 at an event in the European Parliament. Bringing together 35 stakeholders from across the construction value chain, civil society, and public authorities, the coalition aims to make green public procurement the default approach in Europe's construction sector.

More than 7,650 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring have been collected and recycled through Recofloor since the scheme was founded by Altro and Polyflor in 2009. This has produced 8,974 tonnes of carbon savings - equivalent to taking 2,342 cars off the road for a year (this carbon savings estimate is based on displacing concrete in traffic management products, the main application for the recycled flooring).