Supply Chain Research

Exports of scrap materials to China from the U.S. may be suspended for at least a month after the sole certification company’s activities were reclassified. The timing is unlikely to be coincidental as the restriction on scrap imports by China was implemented in 2017. It comes alongside with the imposition of duties on scrap aluminum exports in retaliation for America’s section 232 duties on Chinese steel and aluminum. U.S. exports of all scrap products fell 11% on a year earlier in the first quarter, with China accounting for 23% of the total. Scrap aluminum specifically experienced a 6...