Exports

Officials in Malaysia and Thailand seized containers with hundreds of tons of e-scrap illegally imported from the United States earlier this month after tips from the U.S. nonprofit Basel Action Network.

The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries are set to take effect Wednesday.

The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential "severe" disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.'s largest trading partners took effect March 4. Canada's proposed response includes tariffs on U.S. exports of recycled materials.

As trade strife between the U.S. and China heats up once again, the Chinese government has restricted exports of some key metals alongside retaliatory tariffs. Given China's position as the world's largest supplier of those metals, the move could spur more interest in U.S. recycling.

Countries within the OECD have announced how they'll each enforce new Basel Convention rules. As was foreshadowed by their previous failure to agree on uniform enforcement among all members, there is a fair amount of variance by nation.

On the heels of high-profile illegal e-scrap import claims and updates to the Basel Convention, Malaysian officials said they would be tightening operating procedures.  

With just weeks to go before new e-scrap trading regulations take effect worldwide, companies are feeling cautiously optimistic that trade disruption will be softer than it could have been. 

Coordinated global action is imperative to extend the life of electronics and improve end-of-life treatment, according to five industry experts in a recent World Economic Fund article.

The Basel Action Network this week rolled out a confidential reporting website seeking to make it easier for observers to report poor e-scrap management practices, such as questionable exports of devices and e-plastics, data security lapses and problematic storage or disposal.

The Malaysian government inspected more than 300 shipping containers and found that about one-third contained e-scrap illegally imported from the U.S., officials said during a June 26 press conference in Klang, Malaysia.