European Steel Association EUROFER has welcomed the revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation adopted by the European Parliament in for a more sustainable approach in waste exports to third countries but has urged to close some critical loopholes to avoid circumvention of the new measures and ensure watertight environmental and social standards equivalent to those of the EU. EUROFER Director General Mr Axel Eggert said “The text approved today is a clear improvement compared to the initial Commission proposal. Yet, significant risks of circumvention persist as long as a genuine level playing field between the EU and third countries is not ensured, especially with respect to environmental, social, safety and health conditions in waste shipment and further treatment. Europe should not allow exporting its waste challenges abroad, even more so when waste such as ferrous scrap is a strategic secondary raw material in the circular economy and for decarbonization.”Mr Eggert added “Scrap should be rather considered a critical raw material, as already today it is acknowledged to be a scarce resource, and our low-carbon projects will need significantly more ferrous waste already by 2030 and even larger quantities by 2050 to produce green steel.”He also said “In particular, a stronger monitoring system applied to the most exported waste flows to OECD countries is absolutely necessary, including an effective verification of ESM compliance at country level. Ant circumvention measures should also be strengthened to prevent any undue use of the ‘end-of-waste’ classification. Finally, a more granular and harmonized definition of facility is needed to ensure a rigorous enforcement of the facility-based audit system.”According to Eurostat, ferrous scrap is by far the most exported type of waste from the EU, 19.5 million tonnes in 2021, equal to 59% of all EU waste exports.
European Steel Association EUROFER has welcomed the revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation adopted by the European Parliament in for a more sustainable approach in waste exports to third countries but has urged to close some critical loopholes to avoid circumvention of the new measures and ensure watertight environmental and social standards equivalent to those of the EU. EUROFER Director General Mr Axel Eggert said “The text approved today is a clear improvement compared to the initial Commission proposal. Yet, significant risks of circumvention persist as long as a genuine level playing field between the EU and third countries is not ensured, especially with respect to environmental, social, safety and health conditions in waste shipment and further treatment. Europe should not allow exporting its waste challenges abroad, even more so when waste such as ferrous scrap is a strategic secondary raw material in the circular economy and for decarbonization.”Mr Eggert added “Scrap should be rather considered a critical raw material, as already today it is acknowledged to be a scarce resource, and our low-carbon projects will need significantly more ferrous waste already by 2030 and even larger quantities by 2050 to produce green steel.”He also said “In particular, a stronger monitoring system applied to the most exported waste flows to OECD countries is absolutely necessary, including an effective verification of ESM compliance at country level. Ant circumvention measures should also be strengthened to prevent any undue use of the ‘end-of-waste’ classification. Finally, a more granular and harmonized definition of facility is needed to ensure a rigorous enforcement of the facility-based audit system.”According to Eurostat, ferrous scrap is by far the most exported type of waste from the EU, 19.5 million tonnes in 2021, equal to 59% of all EU waste exports.
