One and One Green Technologies is expanding into the e-waste recycling market in Metro Manila. The company processes electronic scrap and industrial waste into copper alloy ingots and other products. Analysts see Southeast Asia emerging as a key growth region for recycled copper supply.

Nexans is developing a large copper recycling center capable of processing up to 80,000 tonnes of scrap annually. The project aims to reduce reliance on primary copper and improve supply resilience. The company highlighted recycled copper as a strategic resource amid tightening global supply.

【SMM Copper Cathode Rod Flash News】Although copper prices pulled back somewhat in early trading today, the release of rigid downstream demand remained slow, and new orders at copper cathode rod enterprises slowed significantly compared with the previous phase of copper price pullback. Supported by the narrowing price difference between copper cathode and copper scrap and relatively low finished product inventories at enterprises, RCs/TCs held steady and unchanged.

U.S. recycling firm Greenway Metal Recycling has expanded its electronics scrap recycling operations. The company is increasing the range of materials it accepts, including e-scrap containing copper and other metals. Analysts believe electronic waste will become an increasingly important source of secondary copper.

[SMM Steel] Tata Steel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) to co-develop scalable low-carbon steelmaking technologies. The collaboration focuses on four strategic areas: scrap-based steelmaking, steel waste valorization, carbon capture and utilization (CCUS), and end-product performance. By leveraging USTB’s pilot-scale facilities and Tata Steel’s engineering strengths, the partnership aims to accelerate the transition of sustainable metallurgical research into practical industrial applications.

[Hyundai Motor Group and Huayou Cobalt Jointly Built a Power Battery Recycling System in Indonesia] Recently, Hyundai Motor Group signed a cooperation agreement with Zhejiang Huayou Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of Huayou Cobalt) to jointly build an EV power battery recycling system in Indonesia. The cooperation covered the recycling and utilization of battery production scrap and end-of-life batteries, aiming to achieve a closed-loop resource system throughout the entire battery life cycle.

[SMM Cast Aluminum Alloy Morning Comment: Futures Prices Retreated After a Rapid Rise, and Market Divergence Intensified at High Levels] Overnight, the aluminum alloy 2604 contract opened higher and then fluctuated downward, opening at 23,770 yuan/mt, rising to 23,820 yuan/mt during the session, and then pulling back under pressure to a low of 23,525 yuan/mt before closing at 23,645 yuan/mt late in the session, down 80 yuan/mt from the previous settlement price, a decline of 0.34. Open interest edged up by 6 lots to 5,304 lots, with trading volume at 2,417 lots. Wait-and-see sentiment remained strong among market participants, and market divergence intensified at high levels.

[SMM Nickel Flash] March 17 News. Supply side, some smelters held firm on quotations, but amid the futures decline and stainless steel finished product prices coming under pressure, some traders feared buying at elevated levels. Demand side, terminal demand remained weak and struggled to accept high prices for stainless steel finished products. Meanwhile, the cost advantage of steel scrap widened, and steel mills' willingness to procure high-grade NPI turned sluggish again.

U.S. recycling technology firm Nth Cycle has signed a 10-year metal supply agreement with commodity trader Trafigura worth about $1.1 billion. The partnership will recover metals such as copper and nickel from scrap and industrial waste using electrochemical refining technology. Analysts say such collaborations could significantly expand secondary copper supply.

[SMM Secondary Aluminum Alloy Daily Review] Secondary aluminum alloy market quotations were generally lowered by 100 yuan/mt today. Affected by the pullback in futures, most enterprises lowered their quotations accordingly. However, as aluminum scrap raw material prices remained at a relatively high level, the cost side provided some support for ADC12 prices, and enterprises were generally restrained in the extent of their price adjustments. Demand side, downstream procurement still mainly met immediate needs, and no concentrated restocking driven by the price pullback had yet emerged. Wait-and-see sentiment in the market increased somewhat, and overall trading remained relatively stable.