Welcome to Shanghai!

On behalf of the International Steering Committee and the supporting organizations, we welcome you to the 4th World Recycling Forum _ Shanghai '09.

The last three Forums in Shanghai have been a big success. Over 900 participants attended the conferences in the gorgeous Hotel Shangri-La, the place with the breathtaking view of Shanghai's legendary riverfront.

This year's forum is facing a different world than two years ago. The economies in Asia are quite strong, Europe is still suffering and America seems to come back on track. But the raw material prices, probably one of the key factors in the recycling business, are still on a roller coaster.

China and its neighbors are pushing hard the principle of a “circular economy” - to reuse and recycle used products, waste and garbage. Producing raw materials or energy out of waste is nowadays one of the fastest growing businesses in Asian countries and in North America.

Waste out of electrical and electronic equipment and End of life vehicles represent one of the largest and fastest growing waste streams worldwide. This waste does not only contain valuable raw materials such as metals and plastics. It also contains a considerable amount of hazardous substances being released to the environment which also affects people. It will be a great challenge for the society to achieve a circular economy in order to create a sustainable and safe world.

There will be keynote speakers from governments and the world's leading recycling groups. Many speakers from all over the world will present solutions and challenges in the field of laws and regulations as well as technology and industrial projects. The exhibition and several visits to recycling and manufacturing companies are going to be offered to the participants.

But the most important reason to attend this Forum is to meet your business partners, friends, clients and competitors. An excellent networking dinner, cocktail parties and the heartbeat of Shanghai will help you to share your experience among other leaders from the recycling sector.

We wish all participants an interesting and pleasant stay in Shanghai.