PRESSRELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brussels,3 April 2009

JapaneseSteel Scrap Association Joins BIR

Yetanother national association has joined the Bureau of InternationalRecycling: The Japan Iron and Steel Recycling Institute (JISRI) hasofficially applied for BIR membership and will be ratified as newmember association during the BIR General Assembly on 26 May 2009 inDubai.

Foundedin 1975, the Tokyo-based organisation comprises about 1000 companiesinvolved in recycling, including all major Japanese trading firms, and is closely associated with the car manufacturers (e.g. JAMA) and the Japan Iron and SteelFederation.

Steelscrap accounts for almost 25% of the total annual Japanese steelproduction of 120 million tons. Since scrap availability exceedsdomestic demand, 6 to 7 million tons are being exported to South-EastAsia and the Pacific Rim.

AJapanese delegation visited the BIR 2008 Autumn Convention inDüsseldorf and was highly impressed by the standards of thegathering and found the networking opportunities as well as the highinformation content very useful.

BIRDirector General Francis Veys commented on JISRI’s membership: “Inthe context of the growing globalisation of the recycling industrythe Japanese association’s decision to join BIR seems a logicaldevelopment, but it will add a lot to the efficiency of BIRactivities worldwide. JISRI will promote BIR messages in their regionand will support our organisation’s programmes for the developmentof recycling at OECD and UN level.”

BIRhas a dozen members companies in Japan. The first organisation thatjoined BIR was the Tokyo-based Paper Recycling Promotion Center 30years ago.