2014 International Roundtable on Auto Recycling brings industry together in Japan

By Melissa Hayes

Kushiro, Japan – September 3, 2014 –The eighth annual International Roundtable on Auto Recycling (IRT) will once again give auto recyclers around the world a chance to come together to discuss improving the auto recycling industry on a global level.

Held in Kushiro, Japan, the convention runs from October 1 to 4, and will host a number of events and opportunities for professional automotive recyclers to exchange ideas, network and participate in scheduled discussions.

Kicking off with a welcoming reception held at the Kushiro Prince Hotel on day one, attendees will also take part in a factory tour, provided BBQ Lunch, Kushior Moor National Park Tour and the JARA 10th Anniversary Reception the following day.

IRT serves many purposes in the industry.

The event’s third day will feature country reports, where a number of auto recycling representatives from a variety of nations will provide updates on industry progress and future plans within their home countries.

Steve Fletcher of Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) says he would like to focus on the country’s steps forward, including the adoption and utilization of The Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (CAREC)—the national code of practice for automotive recyclers.

“We’re into our third, fourth year of audits, and it’s generally a positive story of improvement among members,” he says. “There’s a number of different licensing initiatives across Canada, and they’ve utilized CAREC as a jumping off point for what the standards are all about.”

Fletcher will also touch on ARC’s Gold Seal Customer Assurance Program, as well as the granting initiative Grants in Gear, and their recent Tundra Take-Back project in Nunavut, in which the aim is to provide expertise on end of life vehicle issues and opportunities occurring in the north. 

The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) and the Japanese Automotive Recyclers Association will also deliver country reports, with the day wrapping up with a facilitated round table discussion and prepared banquet.

IRT’s final day will give attendees another opportunity to swap ideas and soak up industry information with continued roundtable discussions—an aspect of the event Fletcher looks forward to.

“I learn a lot about what’s going on around the world. Other jurisdictions are sometimes way ahead of us in the use of technology to de-pollute vehicles, or they’re way ahead of us in terms of the regulations that they’ve encountered,” he says. “You can read about it all you want, but until you’re face-to-face socially and formally, you can’t ask the questions and see why things happen or don’t happen the way they do. It just makes our efforts back in Canada that much more grounded.”

For more information on the 2014 IRT, please click here. You can register for the IRT by clicking here.