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Robin Wiener told Fastmarkets that the US recycled materials industry consistently produces more recycled copper than is needed domestically – on average, over 800,000 tonnes more per year over the past decade.
Exporting this surplus ensures that US recyclers remain viable, even in years when domestic consumption is lower, she noted.
“The US recycled copper industry has always relied on global markets – this isn’t new, and it’s not just about China like some assume,” she said in an interview.
According to Wiener, roughly 25%–30% of recycled material processed in the US is exported to more than 100 countries. In 2024 alone, the US exported $27 billion worth of recycled materials across all commodities, while importing another $7 billion, she noted.
“Our industry’s health and success depend on two key things: a strong domestic manufacturing base but also access to global markets for that other 30%,” she said.
Proponents of export controls argue that restricting outbound shipments would increase domestic supply and ease cost pressures on copper consumers, but Wiener pointed to historical evidence that suggests otherwise.
“If export controls go into effect, they flood the domestic market with material, pushing prices way down in the short term. But history shows – in the case of ferrous scrap in the 1970s, for example – that in the long term, prices actually rise above current levels,” she said.
“So consumers wouldn’t get the relief they’re expecting, and recyclers would be hurt. They wouldn’t be able to invest in new tech that increases recycling rates or improves material quality,” she added.
Wiener noted that recycled copper markets are elastic – materials enter the stream only if there’s demand.
“Cut off exports, and much of that material won’t even be processed. Add to that the job losses, especially for small processors,” she told Fastmarkets.
Export controls would be particularly damaging for US copper recyclers that are 100% reliant on overseas sales, and would place immense pressure on small companies, particularly on the West Coast, she said.
“It costs more to ship scrap from California to the US Southeast than it does to ship it overseas. So, if exports are restricted, that material won’t move. It’ll sit,” she noted.
“Some of those smaller processors may go out of business. They’ll lose customers and won’t be able to invest in getting material into the supply chain or in upgrading their operations to meet new consumer demands for higher-grade material,” she added.
Washington DC-based ReMA, which represents more than 1,700 companies in the US and 40 countries around the globe, filed a response to the Section 232 investigation on copper with the US Department of Commerce.
Wiener rejected the idea that restricting exports would benefit US national security.
“If there was a shortage of material, that would be one thing. But there isn’t,” Wiener said. “There’s plenty of recycled copper to meet national security and domestic manufacturing supply needs. There’s no benefit to cutting off exports,” she added.
Wiener said that a restriction on exports could lead to reciprocal trade barriers that affect access to critical components and technologies, many of which are not currently produced domestically.
“We can’t ignore the risk of retaliation,” she said. “If we start controlling exports, other countries may respond in kind. The US copper industry depends on the import of copper from other countries, and they run the risk of losing that,” she added.
According to Wiener, there are better policy options. She noted that companies like Aurubis, Wieland and Ames Copper have already made hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in the US, all without the need for export controls on recycled copper.
“What we need instead are things like recycling infrastructure tax credits, better collection systems to address ‘recycling deserts’ and public-private partnerships to drive innovation,” Wiener said.
“We’re also supportive of bills that boost local recycling infrastructure, like the one we’re working on with The Recycling Partnership and others. Those are the kinds of initiatives that strengthen domestic supply without wrecking the international market access that recyclers depend on,” she added.
ReMA shares a common goal with the Copper Development Association (CDA) of ensuring a strong and resilient domestic manufacturing base and has reached out to the organization and others to collaborate, Wiener told Fastmarkets.
“We’d love a path forward that balances both goals – growing domestic manufacturing and maintaining global competitiveness. But we do not believe that export controls are the answer,” she added.
In Hotter Commodities, special correspondent Andrea Hotter covers some of the biggest stories impacting the natural resources sector. Read more coverage on our dedicated Hotter Commodities page here.