India has recently introduced changes in how businesses will handle compliance, incorporate sustainability into their practices, and modify their supply chain strategies, which will ultimately impact some businesses' bottom lines and overall operations. These changes are directly related to the management of metal waste and are set to go into effect in 2026. These changes directly affect how metal recycling will be handled under India's new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. These changes will affect the respective role and function of each of the manufacturers, importers, recyclers, refurbishers, and all of the collection agents.
India’s new metal waste management policies are set to go into effect on April 1, 2026. In these changes, for the first time, all types of non-ferrous metal scraps (i.e. metals and alloys of aluminum, copper, and zinc) will be included in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. The Indian government, with the new policies and changes, has focused its goals on tapping into the country's own recycling infrastructure as a means to shift the country's focus away from the reliance on the extraction of metals and as a means of establishing a circular ecosystem of recycling of metals. Let’s break down the policy, the compliance essentials, and what every business should know.
Hazardous and Other Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2025, which will be effective from 01.04.2026, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has introduced regulations pertaining to the EPR for Non-Ferrous Metal Scrap. These regulations will create a Compliance Obligation for Multiple Stakeholder Categories
The key pillars of the updated metal recycling regulations in India are:
1. EPR Registration is Compulsory for Every Stakeholder
All entities in the non-ferrous metal supply chain, be it producers, importers, refurbishers, collectors, or recyclers, will be required to register on the EPR portal managed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Registration with CPCB grants the entity the right to operate under the new regulations and to obtain EPR certificates for recycling.
2. Recycling Obligation for Producers that Gradually Escalates
The Producers Responsibility under the EPR Metal Framework in India will be applicable to all metal producers. All producers are subject to significant recycling obligations based on the weight of products estimated to reach end-of-life in a given year (calculated using an average product lifespan formula applied to past sales data). Recycling obligations begin from 10% for the financial year 2026-27 and are expected to reach 75% for the financial year 2032-33.
3. Tradable Compliance and EPR Certificates
EPR certificates are issued by registered recyclers in relation to the actual volume of non-ferrous metals that are recycled. Certificates can also be purchased by producers to account for non-recycled obligations. These certificates are valid for two years and are already tradeable under the framework, within a defined price band of 30% - 100% of the environment compensation rate, via a CPCB-approved exchange platform.
4. Requirements for Minimum Recycled Content
Starting from the financial year 2028-29, the manufacturers will be required to comply with minimum recycled content standards for new products containing aluminum, copper, and zinc. This is to reduce dependency on mining and strengthen the circular economy in the country.
5. The Environment and Penalties Compensation
The absence of EPR compliance and false reporting of data may result in environmental compensation, and the CPCB registration of the claimant may be suspended. The CPCB has been given the authority to carry out audits and inspections, as well as to ensure compliance among all participants in the process.
India has policies around waste management for plastics and electronics, and now the extension of EPR for non-ferrous metals like aluminum, copper, and zinc means a greater scope for both positive environmental impact and business opportunities. As some of the most important metals used in construction, automotive, electrical, and packaging industries, business opportunities in metals in India, the fastest growing market for metal products, is enormous.
Here’s how the EPR metal framework is transforming the landscape:
• Shift towards a Circular Economy
With the implementation of the new regulations, businesses will no longer be able to follow a linear ‘produce-use-dispose’ business model. New India EPR regulations will prompt businesses to view product end-of-life as a resource and an opportunity for additional processes to recapture and recycle the materials, otherwise ending up in a landfill or in a yard of informal recycling.
• Metal Recycling Regulations
India has had a legacy of informal and unsafe recycling of metals. New EPR regulations for the recycling of metals will streamline India’s metal recycling process, improve workplace safety, and enforce better environmental compliance.
• Lowered pressures with mining and importing.
Producing metals from recycled feedstock instead of mining and primary processing is less energy-intensive and less harmful to the environment. By creating policies that require the use of recycled materials for new products, the policy optimizes the use of natural resources and reduces energy consumption in the manufacturing process.
• New Business Prospects for Recycling Infrastructure
These new, stricter policies will result in the recycling industry receiving more funding, more innovation, and ultimately more competition. Shredding, sorting, and urban mining are just a few of the many opportunities that will be available to businesses that complement the Extended Producer Responsibility Metal Policy in India.
For businesses operating in metal-intensive sectors, compliance with the new EPR regime isn’t optional, it’s a regulatory requirement. Here’s a practical compliance roadmap:
1. Sign Up on the CPCB EPR Portal
If your business involves the manufacturing of metal products, the importing of metals or metal-containing products, or the handling of metal scraps and refurbishing, CPCB registration is the beginning of your compliance journey. Your registration will provide you access to EPR certificates and reporting tools.
2. Learn about the Product Life Cycle and EPR Targets.
The average lifespan of “non-ferrous metal products” will define the EPR obligations. Companies will be required to keep track of product weights, sales records, and projections of the product’s end-of-life in order to meet the recycling targets that will be set.
3. Collaborate with Licensed Recyclers or Create Recycling Processes Internally
If your business is unable to fulfill recycling goals independently, acquiring EPR certificates from licensed recyclers is a legally acceptable option. Working with licensed recyclers or building internal recycling processes facilitates compliance.
4. Plan for Minimum Recycled Content
Manufacturers need to monitor and manage the compliance of the recycled content limits for products produced from aluminium, copper, and zinc. This calls for reorganizing components of the supply chain and designing systems for tracking recycled components.
5. Compliance and Reporting Monitoring
To prove compliance, companies will need to conduct regular reporting, documentary, and environmental audits. It is anticipated that companies will need to implement sophisticated data management systems to help with the supervision of material recycling, data flow, and certificate consumption.
Although the rules introduce new obligations, forward-thinking businesses will find strategic advantages:
• Reduced Raw Material Costs
By increasing the share of recycled content, companies could lower demand for expensive primary metals, helping contain production costs.
• Enhanced Brand Reputation
Demonstrating compliance with circular economy principles and environmental leadership can boost corporate reputation among sustainability-minded consumers and investors.
• New Revenue Streams
Businesses positioned as recyclers, refurbishers, or EPR compliance service providers can tap into new revenue opportunities driven by the evolving regulatory landscape.
• Access to Government Incentives
Some Indian policy frameworks suggest environmental incentives and support for green investment, particularly in recycling infrastructure and digital compliance platforms that support EPR.
The changes expected from India's 2026 EPR policy indicate a new way of approaching material resources in the country. EPR in the recycling of metals, India’s policy makers consider that metals, as a resource, have more value and are more damaging to the environment than being left to the waste phase of the life cycle. With India’s structured targets, certificate markets and mandates for recycled content, the country is positioning itself as a leading player in the sustainable industrial policy of the world.
Full compliance with the policies will need concerted efforts in every industry sector, for the businesses that adjust first, establish recycling value chain partnerships and integrate new technologies in their operations, will be the same businesses that are most likely to succeed in a future dominated by sustainability and legislation.
India’s new metal waste management rules are pioneering changes to policy. The Extended Producer Responsibility India framework will shift business attitudes toward metal products from mere disposables to environmental and economic resources. There are changes at each point of the metal life cycle, from aluminium, copper, and zinc producers to recyclers and refurbishers. These changes will determine the focus of the business on compliance, efficiency, and innovation. Companies that adopt the changes will transform the scrap metal industry regulation from being an obstacle to a competitive edge and will contribute to a more positive and sustainable future.
