# The One Rule That Made Global Trade in Recycled Plastics Possible

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/global-trade-with-fexingo-wto-free-trade-agreements-and-international-commerce-7871813/the-one-rule-that-made-global-trade-in-recycled-plastics-possible
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/global-trade-with-fexingo-wto-free-trade-agreements-and-international-commerce-7871813/the-one-rule-that-made-global-trade-in-recycled-plastics-possible.md
Podcast: [Global Trade with Fexingo: WTO, Free Trade Agreements, and International Commerce](https://stenobird.com/podcast/global-trade-with-fexingo-wto-free-trade-agreements-and-international-commerce-7871813)
Published: 2026-07-13T20:09:29+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/global-trade/episode-0109.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/global-trade/episode-0109.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/global-trade-with-fexingo-wto-free-trade-agreements-and-international-commerce-7871813/episodes/the-one-rule-that-made-global-trade-in-recycled-plastics-possible
Duration seconds: 560

## Resource

Lucas and Luna look at a single trade rule no one talks about: how the Basel Convention's 2019 amendment reshaped the global flow of recycled plastics. They trace what happened after China's 2018 National Sword policy shut its doors to scrap imports, why the new rule created a two-tier market for high-grade versus low-grade waste, and which countries emerged as the unexpected winners. Specific numbers include the drop in plastic waste exports from 14 million tonnes in 2017 to under 5 million in 2023, and the rise of Southeast Asian processors importing post-consumer PET under the new prior-notification regime. The episode also shows why scrap plastic doesn't fit neatly into existing trade frameworks and how the amendment affects recyclers in the US and EU today. #BaselConvention #PlasticWaste #RecycledPlastics #NationalSword #ChinaPolicy #WasteTrade #CircularEconomy #PETRecycling #SoutheastAsia #TradeRule #EnvironmentalRegulation #WasteManagement #PlasticExports #GlobalTrade #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LucasAndLuna Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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