Thought leaders from around the world recently gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the 2015 World Resources Forum (WRF).
The WRF is an independent, nonprofit, international organization that serves as a high-level platform to exchange relevant research and scientific discussions on resources management amongst business leaders, policy-makers, NGOs, scientists, and the public. The theme for 2015 was "Boosting Resource Productivity by Adopting the Circular Economy." Discussions focused on how companies can improve resource efficiency and maximize the recycling of secondary metals throughout the world.
The discussion of the "Circular Economy" is timely as the European Union is expected to introduce a comprehensive policy package by the end of 2015. In the United States, the Circular Economy is usually discussed as "Sustainable Materials Management." Collectively, policies to implement and collaborate within the Circular Economy and Sustainable Materials Management is being actively promoted by the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States).
One of the flagship activities for the WRF is the Sustainable Recycling Industries Program (SRI). The SRI Roundtable is fully funded by the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs. The SRI convened an International Workshop Agreement (IWA) to consult with key and affected stakeholders, including ISRI, to jointly develop Guidance Principles for secondary metals. The IWA is a consensus building process under the International Standards Organization (ISO), includes four working sessions, followed by public reviews, and runs until October 2016. The "guidance" is intended to ensure that sustainability aspects of secondary metal management, particularly with micro, small and medium sized enterprises throughout the world. The SRI Roundtable is a multi-stakeholder platform. Interested parties can join by contacting sri@wrforum.org.
The next joint WRF/SRI meetings will be held in Costa Rica, May 2016. For more information about the WRF meetings and SRI Roundtable, please contact Eric Harris.