Key takeaways:

The EU appears to be moving away from a 15% aluminium scrap export duty and towards a waste-export restriction under the Waste Shipments Regulation, fundamentally changing the policy approach.
The proposed ban would target exports to non-OECD countries, including major aluminium scrap destinations such as China and India, potentially having a greater impact on physical scrap availability than a tariff.
Significant uncertainty remains, because the European Commission has not yet published the delegated act or formally confirmed the reported changes, leaving key details on exemptions, eligible countries and covered scrap grades unresolved.
EU shifts away from planned aluminium scrap export duty
The Commission had been expected to present long-awaited trade measures on September 23, but internal discussions reportedly found that the proposed instrument would cover only around half of EU aluminium scrap exports.

Citing a statement by Séjourné’s cabinet, Reuters reported that the Commission is instead working on a delegated act under the EU Waste Shipments Regulation that would ban exports of waste, including aluminium scrap, to non-OECD countries, with an exception for some EU candidate countries.

The proposal will first be subject to public consultation and is expected to be adopted by the end of 2026, according to the statement. Fastmarkets has contacted the Commission for comment.

Industry criticises departure from an erga omnes duty
“This wouldn’t satisfy our industry, because scrap could still be exported to Asia through OECD countries,” one European ingot producer told Fastmarkets on Friday. “For us, this would be a disaster. We have strongly pushed for an erga omnes (all destinations) duty because the situation is clear: it would avoid distinctions and prevent circumvention.”

This represents a considerable change from the trade measure that the Commission had been preparing since 2025. Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič originally announced preparatory work on a new measure to address what the Commission called the “leakage” of aluminium scrap from the EU.

The Commission subsequently consulted stakeholders on possible measures covering aluminium scrap under CN 7602 (aluminium waste and scrap).

The reported 15% export duty should now be treated as superseded, the media outlet said. The new approach could be more restrictive for some physical trade flows because it would target destinations instead of simply increasing the cost of exports.

Impact on Asian aluminium scrap trade flows
China and India are among the major Asian destinations for EU aluminium scrap and are not members of the OECD.

The precise impact on European aluminium scrap markets remains unclear. The Commission has not yet published the delegated act, so the treatment of individual CN 7602 grades, end-of-waste material, specific destination countries and any exemptions has yet to be established.

The existing EU Waste Shipments Regulation already provides for tighter controls on exports of non-hazardous waste to non-OECD countries from May 21, 2027.

In the current framework, exports can in principle continue to certain non-OECD countries if those countries meet specified environmental conditions and are placed on an approved list.

Key questions for scrap merchants and secondary aluminium producers
For European scrap merchants and secondary aluminium producers, the key question is now whether the proposed delegated act would effectively remove major export outlets for aluminium scrap or preserve access to destinations in an environmental-qualification regime.

That could have a more direct effect on physical availability, scrap pricing and competition between European and overseas buyers than the previously reported 15% duty.

Importantly, there is not yet an official European Commission announcement or published legal text confirming the reported change. The immediate source for the decision is information from Séjourné’s cabinet reported by Reuters.

The Commission’s official material currently available publicly still relates to the earlier aluminium-scrap consultation and the existing Waste Shipments Regulation.

From: Declan Conway, Fasrmarkets, 7 SEPT 2026, https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/eu-shifts-aluminium-scrap-export-policy-away-from-planned-trade-measures/.