EU waste proposal would ban India from importing bloc's metal scrap
The European Commission proposed rules under which India, as a non-OECD country, would be barred from importing the EU's metal scrap — including aluminium scrap — starting May 2027, unless it secures a specific exemption.
The proposal follows the Commission's earlier decision to abandon a separate plan to impose an export duty on aluminium scrap leaving the EU.
Thirty-two non-OECD countries, including India, have applied for exemptions covering non-hazardous waste categories such as paper, plastics, rubber, metal, and glass.
Exemptions require applicant countries to demonstrate that the waste will be treated in an "environmentally sound manner"; metal waste faces stricter scrutiny due to the potential presence of persistent, toxic heavy metals.
The Commission has opened a public consultation on the exemptions list, with India needing to secure approval by around November 2026 to avoid disruption when the restriction takes effect.
EU Waste Shipment Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1157) and the OECD/Non-OECD Distinction
The recast EU Waste Shipment Regulation entered into force on 20 May 2024 and progressively tightens controls on exporting waste out of the EU, distinguishing between OECD and non-OECD destination countries. From 21 May 2027, non-hazardous waste (including metal scrap) can be exported to non-OECD countries only if the EU has expressly authorized that country to receive it; OECD-country destinations face a comparatively lighter notification-based regime.
Key Details
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 entered into force 20 May 2024; most operative provisions apply from 21 May 2026, with the toughest non-OECD export restrictions effective 21 May 2027.
- A related, earlier timeline restricts non-hazardous plastic waste exports specifically: notification procedure for OECD destinations from 21 May 2026, and an outright ban on such exports to non-OECD countries from 21 November 2026.
- India is classified as a non-OECD country, placing it in the stricter category unless it obtains individual EU authorization for specific waste streams.
The metal scrap restriction reported here is a direct application of the OECD/non-OECD distinction built into Regulation 2024/1157 — India's only route to continued access is a country-specific exemption, for which it is among 32 non-OECD applicants.
Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes
The Basel Convention (1989) is the foundational international treaty regulating the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, requiring prior informed consent from the importing country and aiming to minimize waste generation and ensure environmentally sound management. EU and Indian domestic waste-trade rules are both shaped by obligations flowing from this convention.
Key Details
- Adopted 1989; entered into force 1992. India ratified the Basel Convention on 24 June 1992, and it came into force for India on 22 September 1992.
- India implements Basel Convention obligations domestically through the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which govern import/export permissions, prior informed consent, and environmentally sound handling of hazardous and notified "other wastes."
- The Convention distinguishes hazardous waste from "other wastes" (like clean metal scrap for recycling), though the EU's proposed rules extend precautionary treatment to non-hazardous metal scrap as well, citing contamination risk from heavy metals.
The EU's exemption requirement — proof of "environmentally sound treatment" — mirrors the core Basel Convention standard that a receiving country must manage imported waste without endangering human health or the environment; India's compliance track record under its 2016 Rules will likely factor into whether it secures the exemption.
Circular Economy, Raw Material Security, and India's Steel/Aluminium Sector
Metal scrap (ferrous and aluminium) is a key recycled feedstock for India's steel and aluminium industries, supporting domestic circular-economy and emission-reduction goals under the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy, 2019. Losing assured EU scrap supply raises raw-material security concerns for downstream manufacturers.
Key Details
- The Steel Scrap Recycling Policy, 2019 promotes organized scrap collection and processing through authorized metal scrapping centres, applying the "6R" principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign, Remanufacture) to cut import dependence and greenhouse gas emissions from primary steelmaking.
- India imported an estimated 366,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the EU in 2025, and was reportedly the EU's top buyer of aluminium scrap in the first quarter of 2026, making the bloc a significant source of recycled feedstock for Indian aluminium producers.
- Recycled aluminium production requires roughly 5% of the energy needed for primary aluminium smelting, linking scrap availability directly to India's industrial decarbonization goals (relevant to its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement).
A ban on EU metal scrap imports would directly affect the raw-material pipeline that the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy, 2019 was designed to strengthen, potentially pushing Indian producers toward costlier primary metal production with a higher emissions footprint.
- EU restriction on metal scrap exports to non-exempted non-OECD countries takes effect: 21 May 2027.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 entered into force: 20 May 2024.
- Non-OECD countries that applied for exemptions: 32 (including India).
- Public consultation on exemptions list: open until 16 October (2026).
- Deadline for India to secure exemption approval to avoid disruption: around November 2026.
- India's aluminium scrap imports from the EU (2025): approximately 366,000 tonnes.
- India ratified the Basel Convention: 24 June 1992 (in force for India: 22 September 1992).
- Steel Scrap Recycling Policy notified: 2019.