Countries around the world are increasingly imposing restrictions on scrap exports to ensure domestic supply and support green steel production. As of March 2025, 48 countries had implemented 75 measures restricting scrap exports, aiming to secure domestic supply and promote green steel production. Around 38% of these measures are full or partial export bans, while export duties and licensing requirements each account for 27%.

For example, Burundi and Kazakhstan have prohibited exports outside their regional economic unions and imposed duties on internal trade. The EU revised its Waste Shipment Regulation in March 2024 to block scrap exports to non-OECD countries and announced in March 2025 that further restrictions could follow by late 2025.

These export controls are rarely lifted and are often extended or replaced, indicating a long-term global shift. Key drivers include rising demand for scrap in low-carbon steelmaking, the need to strengthen domestic industries, and reciprocal trade responses to restrictions imposed by other countries.