NEWSBREAK: China to rename certain copper, aluminium scrap products in July

China's new policy to rename certain copper scrap, brass scrap and aluminium scrap as “recyclable raw materials” will take effect in July 2020, according to an official document seen by Fastmarkets.

The criterion for eligibility has been approved by bureaus including the State Administration for Market Regulation and will be publicly announced in the next 20 days.

Well informed sources told Fastmarkets the new specification will be released ahead of Lunar New Year which takes place on January 25.

The new policy will bring drastic changes to China, the world’s biggest scrap buyer. Currently, Chinese scrap buyers have to apply for quotas to buy metal scrap products from overseas. The additional trading hurdle faced administration difficulties and caused uncertainties for sellers and consumers.

The Chinese environmental ministry issued quotas for 561,202 tonnes of copper scrap to be brought into the country last year under the system which came into effect in July 2019.

What to read next
Brazil's aluminium industry is further enhancing its sustainability by boosting renewable energy use and recycling, while mitigating risk from high-carbon imports
German copper producer Aurubis is among the least likely to consider reducing capacity despite record low treatment charges (TCs), according to its chief executive officer
European copper demand, particularly for wire rod, remains strong and seems to be outpacing broader macro-economic growth in the region, the chief executive officer of German producer Aurubis has said.
The process to place the smaller and less efficient of the two processing plants at Los Bronces on care and maintenance is expected to be completed by mid-2024 and comes as the company pushes value over volume, the chief executive officer of Anglo American Chile said
The near-term prospects for Chinese copper smelting capacity amid near-zero treatment charges (TCs) will, to a certain extent, depend on plants’ exposure to spot TCs, the chief executive officer of Rio Tinto’s copper division said on Tuesday, April 16
It will be very difficult for many Chinese copper smelters to compete with treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) at record lows, according to the chairman of Chile’s state-owned copper producer Codelco