Manufacturers of vehicles and consumer goods are among the businesses set to benefit from the End-of-Waste certification gained at two of EMR Netherlands export sites in Nijmegen and Alphen aan den Rijn. This extends the coverage of the certification already gained by the company’s Rotterdam and Amsterdam facilities in 2017.
EMR, a world-leading metal recycler, is committed to increasing the sustainability and traceability of both its operations and the supply chains of its customers. The End-of-Waste certification will enable EMR to export recycled material as a new resource, allowing more recycled metals to re-enter the circular economy and have another useful life.
In addition to ferrous metals such as iron and steel, the certification will provide a boost to the sustainable recycling of non-ferrous metals including copper, aluminium and brass.
EMR Netherlands exports more than 2 million tonnes of recycled metal per year (1.2million tonnes per year at Rotterdam and 850,000 tonnes per year in Amsterdam). Further investment will see this figure grow, meeting the increased global demand for high quality, sustainably-processed, recycled metal.
EMR has a longstanding track record of leadership when it comes to End-of-Waste policies, working with regulators, policymakers and businesses to raise industry standards. The quality of export material within the EU and UK is already protected by Authorisation of Transfrontier Shipment (TFS) certification, which provides evidence of the composition of any waste material being exported. It ensures that the end destination has treatment standards at least as good as is available in the export country.
Outside of the EU, various rules apply. The US and Turkey demand a similar agreement between authorities, as in the EU. Other countries have different notification requirements, and some waste cannot be exported to non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries at all, though the inspection and enforcement of these rules can be limited.
EMR Netherland’s End-of-Waste certification therefore provides evidence and assurance to both those selling and buying recycled material from EMR, that metals will be processed sustainably and responsibly.
Arno Kempers – QSHE Manager at EMR, said: “Having already gained the End-of-Waste certification in 2017 for our Amsterdam and Rotterdam facilities, I’m incredibly proud that EMR Netherlands has extended the certification to our Nijmegen and Alphen facilities.
“Creating products from waste means manufacturers can use materials more efficiently. It also means we’re avoiding the export of unwanted materials contained within waste that may create negative environmental impacts and harm the natural world when they are disposed of in the destination country. Tackling this challenge further underlines EMR’s commitment to a nature positive transition to net-zero.
“Our teams are now looking forward to working with our customers to highlight how End-of-Waste metal recycling can help them to achieve sustainable, low carbon supply chains that are fit for the future.”
