The European Union is preparing a broad ban on waste exports to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Aluminium scrap would be included.
EU industry chief Stéphane Séjourné decided to pursue wider restrictions after an earlier proposal was found to cover only around half of the bloc’s scrap exports.
The earlier measures were expected to be presented on September 23. They would have placed more limited restrictions on aluminium scrap exports.
That proposal has now been withdrawn. The European Commission is instead working on a delegated act under the Waste Shipment Regulation.
The new measure would ban exports of waste, including aluminium scrap, to non-OECD countries. Some EU candidate countries would be exempt.
The restrictions could affect major destinations for European scrap. China and India, for example, are not members of the OECD.
Europe’s aluminium industry has been pushing for tighter restrictions on scrap exports. The sector sees scrap as an important source of material for its smelters and wider decarbonisation efforts.
Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing new metal from mined bauxite. Keeping more scrap within Europe could therefore support both industry and emissions reduction.
The proposal will first go through a public consultation. The Commission expects to finalize the measure by the end of the year.
