December 02, 2008
ISRI outlines current and future benefits of climate change policy
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries announced that it has established a technical, multicommodity working group of operational experts to address key challenges and opportunities of climate change for industrial recyclers.
ISRI invited representatives of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to deliver global warming presentations during its summer board meeting in Washington. Environmental Protection Agency demonstrated through its environmental benefits calculators the enormous savings that professional recyclers have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Environment and Public Works staff suggested the need for the scrap industry to develop technical guidelines to support Environmental Protection Agency’s calculations. As a result, ISRI established a technical working group of experts that includes professional recyclers of iron and steel, nonferrous metals, electronics, paper and rubber. The group will work to gather input from the industry and to develop further recommendations on ways the scrap industry can address climate change.
Mr Robin Wiener president of Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries said that “Substantively addressing the issue of global climate change requires sound decision making that goes beyond mission statements. We are aware that the scrap manufacturing process already contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Our goal is promote policy that provides even greater positive impact for our communities and our economy as we face this important, long term challenge.”
Mr Wiener added that “Industrial scrap recyclers’ methodologies have been reducing greenhouse gases for decades. We are very excited about the role that our unique industry will play in helping our communities and our economy adapt to a carbon reduced market.”
He further added that as businesses, schools and governments work to develop climate change policy, recycling must be an essential part of the plan. Studies show that production of new materials from processed scrap saves energy and in turn helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Producing new aluminum from old saves 95% of the energy it takes to produce cans from bauxite ore. Making new copper from old copper saves 85%. Similarly, using recycling material can save 80% of the energy for plastic, 74% for iron and steel and 64% in the production of paper.
