From Shredder Tours to Recycling Podcasts – How ReMA Participated at the 2025 Eco Expo Brasil

From October 21 to October 23, ReMA President Robin Wiener had the opportunity to travel to São Paulo, Brazil to attend the 2025 Eco Expo Brasil and engage with ReMA's Brazilian counterparts at Instituto Nacional da Reciclagem (INESFA).

Eco Expo in Brazil is the largest trade fair in Latin America. It focuses on recycling, sustainable energy generation, and waste management. Taking place annually in São Paulo, the event brings together international companies, industry experts, and public decision-makers to present innovative technologies and solutions for recycling, solid waste management and the circular economy. This year, more than 60% of the exhibits and attendees were focused on recycling.

"With so many issues affecting the global recycled materials industry including tariffs, export restrictions, shipping challenges, and the continued failure of governments in many parts of the world to distinguish between high-quality recycled materials essential for stable domestic and global manufacturing supply chains and waste materials that should be restricted from cross border movement, collaboration and unity within the industry are now more critical than ever," Wiener said.

Building Connections at Eco Expo Brasil

Within two hours of arriving in São Paulo, Wiener was in a studio for a live podcast with Roger Amarante for INESFAtalks and later that day had dinner with INESFA leadership including Amarante, Clineau Nunes Alvarenga, President of INESFA, and Rafael Risso de Barros, Vice President of INESFA, as well as Jesus Norberto Gomes, Managing Director of Eco Expo, and John Sacco, President and co-owner of Sierra International Machinery, who was also in Brazil for the expo.

The first day of Eco Expo Brasil started with an opening session featuring several local and federal public officials, including Ricardo Nunes, the Mayor of Sao Paulo, discussing their support for recycling, as well as from Alvarenga. Wiener ran into several ReMA members based in Brazil while walking through the exhibit hall including GRIMALDI and Guarulhos Comércio de Sucatas, participated in a live podcast of INESFATalk with Sacco and Amarante. She attended a dinner hosted by INESFA with leaders from the newly formed association for the recycled materials industry in Argentia, C.A.R.M.E.T. (Camara Argentina de Recicladores Metalurgicos y afines).

An Inside Look at a ReMA Member's Operations

In addition to attending Eco Expo, Wiener had the chance to connect with Brazil-based ReMA members Rafael Barros and Camila Barros at Guarulhos Comércio de Sucatas who gave her a tour of their company's recycling operations.

"I can't wait to visit their other yards next time I am in Brazil to see their advanced sorting system using optical scanners, eddy currents, and other technologies for producing high-quality nonferrous metals and plastics in addition to the recycled steel they produce at the facility I got to visit," Wiener said. "The Barros family is a great example of the strength, power, resilience, and vibrancy of family-owned businesses in the recycled materials industry, whether in Brazil, the U.S., or anywhere in the world."