China Trade: National Sword 2018 and Review of changes to China’s Import Controls

China has launched its National Sword 2018 to enforce always more strictly its laws on the import of solid wastes as raw materials. National Sword enforcement has started in February 2017. Throughout last year, China had made significant changes to its laws on the import of solid wastes as raw materials:

July 2017 – China Notifies WTO 1211: 24 more wastes prohibited from import

July 2017 – China Notifies WTO 1212: Identification Standard for Solid Waste

November 2017 – China Notifies WTO: Environmental Protection Control Standard for Imported Solid Wastes as Raw Materials, for : "Smelt Slag"; "Waste and scrap of paper or paperboard"; "Wood and Wood Articles Wastes"; "Waste and scrap of iron and steel"; "Waste Nonferrous Metal" ; "Waste Electric Motors"; "Waste wires and cables"; "Metal and Electrical Appliance Scraps"; "Vessels and Other Floating Structures for Breaking up"; "Waste and scrap of plastics"; "Compressed Piece of Scrap Automobile“

1st January 2018: Prohibitions notified in July come into force

1st March 2018: Standards notified in November come into force

Further information is on the BIR website in the Members area and in the News section. These matters will be discussed in detail at the 2018 World Recycling Convention & Exhibition, taking place in Barcelona (Spain) at the Hotel Sofia (27) 28 – 30 May 2018.

Recently, BIR Director General Arnaud Brunet attended a symposium organised by the Turkish member federation TUDAM on 16 February 2018, and made a presentation on “China’s new scrap import policy: a global game changer”. He discussed important development trends of the recycling industry and the effects of the Chinese ban on the global recycling industry, as well as on the Chinese domestic production. Now that the ban is  effective and that quality standards are coming into effect in March, BIR will continue to support its members in the implementation and compliance phase as well as it will make sure that the implementation of the new rules does not adversely affect the global recycling industry.