BIR adds a new dimension to its global outreach

The Bureau of International Recycling is pleased to announce that it has secured the services of Mr Hongchang Ma as BIR Consultant for Chinese Affairs.

Mr Ma’s expertise and wealth of experience in environmental and government affairs make him the ideal person to monitor on behalf of BIR trade and environmental legislation in China that could potentially impact foreign operators.

BIR has had the privilege of working with Mr Ma for almost 20 years in the framework of his various assignments. While employed at the Chinese State Environment Protection Administration SEPA (now called the Ministry of Environmental Protection) Mr Ma was actively involved in the development of the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste in China. After his retirement as government official, Mr Ma became one of the founders of China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association Recycling Metal Branch CMRA, which has become the voice of the Chinese non-ferrous metals recycling industry. Throughout this time, Mr Ma has always fostered a very good relationship with BIR and helped find realistic solutions to the problems regarding the trade with recyclables to China. Amongst others, he was instrumental in setting up a transparent information system with regards to the AQSIQ licence proceedings and renewal processes.

Alexandre Delacoux, BIR Director General, considers Mr Ma’s assignment as an important milestone in the development of BIR’s global outreach and BIR President Björn Grufman expressed the firm conviction that: “the collaboration with Mr Ma will enable BIR to bring its expertise to relevant debates and discussions in China, notably about scrap imports, customs inspections, tax policies, recycling science and technologies and industrial parks.”