Short-term fix with long-term ramifications

I am often asked where the “next China” will be as a destination for non-ferrous scrap, and my short answer is always the same: there will never be one. The voracious appetite for our scrap in that country has a generation behind it, and it is in a state of maturation that is quite evident.
 
“Green Fence”, although branded as a short-term fix for many of the problems facing China’s import of scrap, will have long-term ramifications for our industry; it is a sea-change in the way exporters process material, are diligent in choosing their trading partners, and respect the ambitions of a country which, despite many obstacles, doesn’t want its nation turned into a garbage dump. Likewise, the importing community will need to be more diligent in choosing its sources as increased scrutiny becomes more of a factor (...)

Robert Stein
Alter Trading (USA)
President of the BIR Non-Ferrous Metals Division
27 June 2013

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