OPINION:
As America celebrates 250 years as a nation, it’s worth recognizing what makes this country, in its relatively short existence, so great.
It starts with independence: the freedom to build, innovate and prosper without relying on others for the resources and materials that keep our economy moving. That freedom has allowed Americans to dream big and achieve what others thought impossible.
America has historically recycled as a form of patriotism. Paul Revere was a recycler. Because Britain restricted new metal production in the colonies, Revere melted down copper, iron and discarded goods to create hardware, horseshoes and armaments for the Revolutionary War. During World War II, Americans mobilized nationwide drives, collecting metal, rubber and paper to support the war effort and strengthen the nation’s industrial capacity.
Today, the Recycled Materials Association’s (ReMA’s) 1,700 member companies operate in communities of every size across the United States, supporting more than 600,000 jobs with average compensation exceeding $100,000 annually. These are jobs that provide stable employment, support the local tax base and help supply manufacturers with the raw materials they need to produce essential goods.
Nearly every smartphone, laptop, automobile, medical device and piece of hospital equipment contains critical materials such as gold, silver, palladium, copper and increasingly the rare-earth elements that modern manufacturing cannot do without.
When those products reach the end of their useful lives, the valuable materials they contain do not vanish. Through recycling, those materials can be recovered, processed and returned to the manufacturing supply chain, creating a reliable domestic source of feedstock. Securing that supply does not require some distant breakthrough. It requires something more strategic and far more attainable: scaling the recycling infrastructure that already operates across this country.
The benefits are substantial. The recycled materials industry generated $183.6 billion in economic impact last year. Manufacturing with recycled materials reduces energy use, cuts costs, and preserves our air, land, and water. In fact, it can lower energy consumption by as much as 90% savings that move straight to the bottom line and allow companies to invest.
Next week, I will join recycling industry leaders and executives from major automakers in Detroit to discuss how to strengthen collaboration between recyclers and manufacturers.
The automotive sector provides one of the clearest examples of recycling’s value to domestic manufacturing. More than two-thirds of our cars are made from high-quality recycled materials, and automobiles remain America’s most recycled consumer product, with up to 95% of retired vehicles recycled annually. In addition to metals including steel, copper and aluminum carmakers use recycled plastics, rubber, and textiles in new models. Increasingly, recyclers are also recovering battery materials that can be used in future electric vehicle and energy storage applications.
Recyclers already play a critical role in supplying materials back into the economy and are meeting the needs of U.S. manufacturers. As demand grows for higher-quality materials and greater volumes of recycled content, our industry is stepping up alongside it investing in advanced sorting technologies, expanded processing capacity and innovative recovery systems that can deliver the materials manufacturers rely on. From aluminum cans and critical minerals to battery materials, paper, and plastics, recyclers are developing the infrastructure and technologies necessary to strengthen domestic supply chains, support American manufacturing and keep valuable resources in productive use.
The good news is that the foundation already exists. The recycled materials industry supplies 77% of recycled materials processed in the U.S. for domestic manufacturing. About 70% of all U.S.-produced steel is made from recycled steel, and that number could rise to 90% by 2040. Additionally, more than 90% of materials like cobalt, nickel, copper and aluminum from lithium-ion batteries can be recovered and reused to make new batteries and products.
American manufacturers have growing access to domestic, high-quality recovered materials. The innovation spurred by and within the recycled materials industry represents the fastest route to a secure and independent mineral supply.
Supply chains built on diverse, reliable domestic sources are more resilient, more competitive and better positioned to withstand global disruptions. They reduce reliance on single suppliers, sidestep shipping delays and keep production moving when the rest of the world stalls.
For rural communities, the benefits are tangible. Recycling operations create good-paying jobs, support local tax bases, provide essential services to manufacturers and help ensure that valuable materials remain part of America’s economy.
As the United States enters its next 250 years, strengthening domestic manufacturing and securing critical material supply chains should remain national priorities. Recycling already plays an essential role in achieving those goals. With continued investment, the recycled materials industry can create jobs, support rural communities and provide the raw materials needed to power American manufacturing for generations to come.
• Robin Wiener is President of the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), representing more than 1,700 companies in over 40 countries that transform end-of-life products into essential, high-quality raw materials the world relies on every day. Across metals, paper, plastics, glass, textiles, rubber, and electronics, ReMA members safely and efficiently transform end-of-life products into the building blocks that power manufacturing, strengthen and secure global supply chains, and protect natural resources. In the U.S. alone, ReMA members deliver $183 billion in economic activity each year and contribute 603,000 jobs in communities nationwide. Robin holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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