ReMA Urges Balanced Approach to Critical Minerals Trade Policy

(August 5, 2026 – Washington, D.C.) – Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) President Robin Wiener today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s temporary final rule restricting exports of black mass and tungsten products: 

“ReMA supports efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals and recognizes the importance of ensuring the U.S. has reliable access to the materials needed for national defense, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies.  

“However, the imposition of a 100% domestic sales requirement for certain black mass and recycled tungsten materials by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce overlooks critical industry dynamics, particularly when domestic processing capacity and capabilities for these materials cannot adequately handle the volumes recycled domestically. Exports often serve as a relief valve for those materials that either cannot be or are not consumed domestically by manufacturers, and access to international markets is essential to ensure these valuable materials continue to move through the recycling supply chain. 

“Recycled materials are globally traded commodities that manufacturers in the United States and abroad rely on. Policies that restrict exports threaten to disrupt established markets and reduce investment in U.S. recycling infrastructure, ultimately undermining supply chain resilience – which will reduce recycling of these materials, not increase it. 

“ReMA looks forward to working with Commerce Department officials to demonstrate how policies that balance domestic manufacturing objectives with free, fair, and open trade will better support investment, strengthen U.S. recycling capacity, and ensure recycled materials continue to contribute to America’s economic competitiveness.” 

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The Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) represents 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. Learn more at http://www.recycledmaterials.org.