Recyclers urge EU to delay digital paper waste shipment system
The Bureau of International Recycling's Paper Division has asked for at least a six-month postponement of the EU's Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS) for recovered paper, which becomes mandatory on 31 December 2026. Speakers at the BIR World Recycling Convention in Malaga on 27 October 2026 said only tens of more than 1,000 Asian paper mills had registered. They warned that Europe could lose outlets for the 6-8 million tonnes of surplus recovered paper it exports each year. No postponement has been agreed; the calls were industry requests.
Why this mattersA registration shortfall could strand millions of tonnes of EU recovered paper, pressuring prices and the economics of municipal collection and sorting.
- DIWASS went live on 21 May 2026 and becomes mandatory for recovered paper shipments to, from and through the EU on 31 December 2026.
- BIR's Paper Division said only tens of more than 1,000 Asian paper plants had registered as of the Malaga convention on 27 October 2026.
- Europe exports 6-8 million tonnes of surplus recovered paper a year, mainly to Asia.
- A separate requirement from 21 May 2027 will require overseas receiving plants to be audited to equivalent European standards.
- Industry speakers cited India, Thailand and Malaysia as destinations with low buyer awareness of the new system.
- No regulatory postponement has been agreed; the calls were industry requests made at the convention.