BIR World Mirror on Non-Ferrous Metals – Issue January 2025: New year, new regulations, new challenges

A concise summary of the BIR World Mirror on Non-Ferrous Metals – Issue January 2025. Full version with detailed market reports available in the Members Only section of the BIR website.

The recycling industry in many parts of the world is reawakening relatively slowly from the extended holiday period in late December and early January, according to the latest World Mirror on Non-Ferrous Metals produced by the BIR global recycling organisation.

In the Nordic Countries, for example, volumes entering yards are said to be 10-20% lower than what might have been expected for the opening month of a new year. Lower inflows have combined with tighter margins, increased operating costs and wide-ranging market uncertainties to put many recycling businesses under strain, it is added. Feedback from the Benelux region, meanwhile, suggests the rather slow restart in 2025 has not come as a surprise

Conversely, a positive opening to trading in 2025 is reported from the UK following a busy late December characterised by an influx of non-ferrous metals into yards. With the recent strengthening of the US dollar leading to higher non-ferrous prices, this has given merchants an incentive to offload material purchased during this period, it is pointed out.

The return to work in 2025 has also been accompanied by new regulations affecting electric motors, with companies wishing to export these now having to meet more exacting compliance requirements. This change has added considerable price volatility for recycled copper and prompted many merchants to sidestep exports until clear guidelines have been put in place.

Also on the legislative front, new regulations are prohibiting scrap yards in the Tokyo metropolitan area from creating scrap piles outside and are requiring businesses to build high walls as well as to communicate their actions to local residents. Some companies have already moved their yards outside the Japanese capital.

Local governments are picking up none of the costs associated with these requirements, thus creating pressure on smaller companies lacking the finances to make such investments, many of which are long-established, family-owned businesses. This is fuelling widespread concern at the potential for these regulations to be extended nationwide.

Also new in 2025, incoming US President Donald Trump has turned up the volume on tariff talk. At the time of writing, it has yet to be confirmed where - and how heavily - these US tariffs will land, but threats have included 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada as well as 10% on all Chinese imports. Uncertainty surrounding the US-Mexico trade relationship is said to have translated into lower industrial activity in Mexico, as well as to reduced availability and demand for scrap.

Meanwhile, Russia has lifted export tariffs implemented in October 2023, with the result that exporters no longer have to face additional costs compared to local consumers when they purchase raw material.

The opening month of the year also brings a steady flow of stats for the 12 months that have just been completed. From China, for instance, it has been reported that production of recycled copper climbed from 4.1 million tonnes in 2023 to 4.3 million tonnes the following year while the corresponding figures for recycled aluminium production were 9.5 million tonnes and 10.55 million tonnes. For recycled lead, the totals for 2023 and 2024 were, respectively, 2.98 million tonnes and 2.9 million tonnes.

Elsewhere in Asia, aluminium scrap prices in India remain high despite improving availability early in 2025, and imported lead scrap is also seeing elevated prices owing to the depreciation of the rupee. Reports from Malaysia indicate a considerable improvement in container processing at ports while stringent environmental regulations in Thailand have forced numerous facilities to cease operations, with many processors seeking alternative locations in order to maintain their activities.

Read all international market reports

With contributions from its members, BIR publishes periodical commodity reports under the label "BIR World Mirror". These detailed reports exist for Non-Ferrous Metals, Ferrous, Stainless Steel / Alloys, Paper, Plastics and Latin America and provide BIR members with up-to-date information on the respective commodity or market segment.

The report on Non-Ferrous Metals appears once every two months, whereas Ferrous, Stainless Steel, Paper and Plastics are published quarterly. Latin America is covered twice per year.