BIR Report

ASIAN FLAVOR

The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) will hold its spring World Recycling Convention May 29-31 in Beijing, giving its members the opportunity to explore China’s dynamic economy, its storied past and ancient culture.

The China World Hotel, part of the China World Trade Centre complex in the heart of Beijing’s diplomatic and business district, will host the conference, which will include a number of networking opportunities and educational sessions.

Plenary sessions begin Monday, May 29, and conclude Wednesday, May 31. All plenary sessions include simultaneous translation in English, French, German and Chinese.

Topics to be covered Monday include ferrous, stainless steel and specialty alloys and plastics. Trading sessions will follow each commodity-based plenary session and will occur in the exhibit area.

A nonferrous plenary session Tuesday, May 30, will be followed by a trading session in the exhibit area. Jim Southwood, who is considered "Mr. Aluminum" inside several Fortune 500 companies, will serve as the session’s keynote speaker.

Southwood is founder and president of Commodity Metals Management Co. (CMMC). As president of CMMC, Southwood specializes in managing price risk, applying his experience, management consulting skills and in-depth knowledge of supply, demand and investor trends to improve the profitability of producers, fabricators and consumers throughout the aluminum industry, according to a news release from the BIR.

The Environmental Council plenary session will include a special focus on Chinese legislation, such as import regulations governed by AQSIQ (Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine), CCIC (China Certification and Inspection Co. Inc.) and SEPA (State Environmental Protection Administration).

Plenary sessions scheduled for Wednesday, May 31, will include paper, textiles and tires, each followed by trading sessions in the exhibit area.

The BIR will host a networking event the evening of Tuesday, May 30, at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. All BIR registered delegates, guests and spouses are invited to the "Imperial Evening," which will include a variety of Chinese food and performances in the temple’s courtyard.

As usual, the spring meeting will also include an exhibit area displaying recovery and recycling technologies. The BIR says it will also offer larger hospitality booths for rent that will enable companies to welcome their clients in a more private setting. The booths will be in the main foyer of the hotel, just opposite the main meeting room and exhibition area.

Various BIR committees will meet Sunday, May 28, before the official start of the conference. These meetings are by invitation only and will include the Convention, Finance, Communication and Membership Committees and the Advisory Council. Other invitation-only meetings include the Media Metal Board, Nonferrous Board and Young Traders Group Committee, which will all meet May 29. The Ambassadors Committee and Paper Board, also invitation-only events, will occur May 30, while the Textile Board will convene May 31.

In addition to the business-related programming and networking opportunities, attendees will have the opportunity to book cultural tours of Beijing, including the Great Wall and Ming Tombs and Tiannanmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Additional information on the BIR World Recycling Convention, including registration information, can be found online at www.beijing.bir.org.