Global Business

4000 years of international trade behind us

There is evidence of international trade in metals as far back as the 19th century BC, yes BC, and we invite you to enjoy some of the interesting facts dating back to previous Millennia's we have provided on our website. However it was after World War II, when raw materials were scarce, that the global trade in recycled metals grew in importance and at a phenomenal rate.

Since then, the international market in recycled metals has expanded rapidly. This is due to the increasing demand for finished products and mass consumerism, combined with a new era of awareness to conserve resources, to reduce our impact on the environment, to re-use, to recycle.

Today, the global recycling industry is thriving, and Nortrade International is a leader in the field, handling and supplying raw materials worldwide arising 100%  from waste, what was once tipped into landfill, is now collected and processed, what was once left as eye-sores or buried underground is now a valuable commodity resource creating jobs, new industries and reducing scar tissue on our planet’s surface. It is a true win – win, a no-brainer! an indisputable solution for the global community and the environment… sorry but we do get excited about what we do and strive always to achieve.

Growth in the international trade of recycled steel scrap has been astounding:

• Almost 40 per cent of the world’s steel production comes from steel scrap, and this figure is growing.
• The global volume of scrap metal and steel scrap exports has increased more than tenfold since 1990 to more than 100 million tonnes.
• New processing technologies enables us to process better than ever old and used car bodies, consumer household appliances, manufacturing off-cuts even household rubbish – all of which, with the rise of consumerism in developing economies like China, India, Brazil, etc. is increasing in amount at an exponentially and worrisome rate.

Nortrade International navigates this complex marketplace on behalf of its partners. We not only help businesses identify the best commercial opportunities, but promote the most environmentally friendly use of resources.

Act local, think global

Family ownership of our business and thousands of years of International trade behind us ensures we live up to our maxim ‘act local, think global’. This is part of our DNA and underpins everything we do. 

This is Nortrade International based in Melbourne, Australia, with regional and representative offices in London, Istanbul, Milan, Spain, China and throughout the ASEAN and SAARC nations.