[2] By the sixth agreement, established at the United Nations Tin Conference, 1980, new consumers included Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.
With the advent of aluminium containers, the use of protective polymer lacquers inside cans, and increased recycling by industry, the demand for tin decreased considerably by the early 1980s, and in October 1985 the ITC could no longer maintain the price.
[4] It eventually ran out of money buying up tin on the metals markets.
Attempts to refinance the ITC were eventually abandoned, and since then, as with many other raw materials, the price has generally declined as alternatives become more attractive.
[5] In 1984 an Association of Tin Producing Countries was created with members: Australia, Bolivia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, and Zaire.