The European Commission is developing a delegated act under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation to prohibit waste exports to non-OECD countries, superseding an earlier, narrower trade proposal regarding aluminum scrap.

Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné pursued this environmental legislation route after finding that trade instruments would only cover roughly half of external aluminum shipments. The measure aims to retain recyclable materials for European industry, reduce energy consumption, recycling aluminum requires 95% less energy than primary production, and support decarbonization.

Major buyers like China and India face exposure, with India having imported about 366,000 tons of European aluminum scrap in 2025. Total EU shipments reached a record 1.27 million tons that year.

However, the Bureau of International Recycling warned that restricting outflows without expanding domestic processing capacity risks creating an internal surplus and lowering collection incentives.

The proposal requires public consultation before adoption by the end of 2026, building upon existing 2024 regulations governing waste shipments.