Market evolution: Electronic waste scrap (CN 8549) — 2015–2025
Introduction
This report analyses the evolution of the European Union's trade in electrical and electronic waste and scrap (customs code 8549) from 2022 to 2025, based on the provided dataset. The data reveals a dynamic period characterised by strong export growth, a significant correction in the trade balance, and notable shifts in both market structure and the commodity mix. The EU's position has evolved from being a net importer to approaching trade balance, driven by rising unit values on exports and changing partnership dynamics.
1. Export-Led Growth and a Correcting Trade Balance
The EU's external trade in electronic waste scrap expanded significantly in both value and volume, with exports growing faster than imports. This growth, coupled with diverging price trends, led to a major improvement in the trade balance.
1.1. Robust Growth in Trade Volumes and Values
Between 2022 and 2025, EU imports of electronic waste scrap grew in value by 20.1%, reaching €301.1 million. More substantially, EU exports surged by 62.1% to €292.7 million. In terms of quantity, imports increased by 35.1% to 175,721 tonnes, while exports grew by 23.3% to 116,058 tonnes. This indicates that while the EU imported more material, it exported significantly more valuable shipments. The overall trade balance, which showed a deficit of €70.0 million in 2022, improved dramatically to a minor deficit of just €8.4 million by 2025, representing an 88.0% improvement.
| Metric | 2022 (First Period) | 2025 (Last Period) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports Value (€M) | 250.6 | 301.1 | +20.1 |
| Imports Quantity (k tonnes) | 130.1 | 175.7 | +35.1 |
| Exports Value (€M) | 180.6 | 292.7 | +62.1 |
| Exports Quantity (k tonnes) | 94.1 | 116.1 | +23.3 |
| Trade Balance (€M) | -70.0 | -8.4 | +88.0 |
1.2. Diverging Price Trends Signal Market Sophistication
The most striking dynamic is the divergence in unit prices between imports and exports. The average export price rose by 31.4% from €1,919/tonne to €2,522/tonne, indicating that the EU is exporting higher-value scrap. Conversely, the average import price fell by 11.1% from €1,927/tonne to €1,714/tonne. This price movement is a key factor behind the improving trade balance: the EU is paying less per tonne for imported scrap while commanding higher prices for its exports, suggesting a shift towards processing and exporting higher-grade materials.
2. Shifting Partnerships and Growing Export Concentration
The geographic landscape of EU trade in this sector underwent significant change, with partnerships becoming more volatile and export trade becoming more concentrated among key EU Member States.
2.1. Volatile and Shifting Non-EU Partnerships
The trade with non-EU partners shows high volatility, measured by the coefficient of variation (CV). For imports, relationships with Serbia (CV: 0.92), China (CV: 0.74), and Israel (CV: 0.61) were the most unstable. On the export side, flows to Canada (CV: 1.63), Norway (CV: 0.88), and Hong Kong (CV: 0.75) were highly volatile. Japan emerged as a critically important and growing export destination, with EU shipments increasing by 93.5% to €191.6 million, making it the top export partner by value. Meanwhile, traditional export partners like Pakistan (down 86.1%) and India (down 42.0%) saw sharp declines.
2.2. Internal EU Market Consolidation for Exports
The export market within the EU became more concentrated. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for export value rose by 34.0%, from 3,381 to 4,532, indicating a move towards a more oligopolistic structure. The Netherlands consolidated its position as the bloc's top exporter, increasing its share by 98.3% to €170.2 million. Conversely, Germany's export share grew by 87.5%, while Italy's share collapsed by 77.6%. Lithuania and Belgium also emerged as significant new export players, with growth rates exceeding 260%. For imports, the market became slightly more diverse, with the HHI falling by 16.6%.
3. Price Divergence and Product Specialisation
The product segment breakdown for the period 2022-2025 reveals that the overall trade trends are underpinned by extreme specialisation and contrasting price trajectories across different scrap categories.
3.1. Imports Dominated by Lead-Acid Battery Scrap
Imports are overwhelmingly dominated by a single category: 854911 - Waste and scrap of lead-acid accumulators. In 2025, this product accounted for 92,778 tonnes (53% of total import volume) but only €61.3 million (20% of total import value). Its average import price fell sharply from €873/tonne in 2022 to just €660/tonne in 2025. This low-value, high-volume stream underpins the decline in the average import price. All other categories imported are much smaller in volume but include higher-value materials like precious metal recovery scrap.
| Import Product (2025) | Quantity (t) | Value (€M) | Avg. Price (€/t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 854911 (Lead-acid scrap) | 92,778 | 61.3 | 660 |
| 854921 (Precious metal scrap, hazardous) | 18,149 | 162.4 | 8,948 |
| 854929 (Precious metal scrap, other) | 10,698 | 51.7 | 4,833 |
| 854999 (Other EE scrap) | 34,500 | 13.8 | 401 |
| All other categories | ~19,596 | ~11.8 | ~530 |
3.2. Exports Driven by High-Value Precious Metal Recovery
EU exports are structured entirely differently. The highest-value export category is 854929 - Precious metal recovery scrap (non-hazardous), which reached 62,666 tonnes and €212.9 million in 2025. Its price was a robust €3,398/tonne. Together with the hazardous counterpart (854921), precious metal scrap made up 57% of all export value despite being only a minority of volume. The general electronic scrap category (854999) saw its export volume collapse from 39,422 tonnes in 2022 to just 10,750 tonnes in 2025. This structural shift towards higher-value scrap explains the rising average export price and confirms the EU's role in channelling valuable waste streams towards sophisticated recycling operations, primarily in Japan.
Conclusion
The 2022-2025 period for EU trade in electronic waste scrap (CN 8549) was defined by a strategic reorientation. The Union transitioned from a net importer towards trade balance by aggressively growing its exports of high-value precious metal recovery scrap, particularly to Japan. This occurred while importing vast quantities of low-value lead-acid battery scrap, likely for domestic lead recycling. Internally, the export market consolidated around key hubs like the Netherlands and Germany. The diverging price trends—cheaper imports, more valuable exports—signal a maturing market where the EU is increasingly acting as a processor and exporter of specialised, high-value waste streams, while leveraging its import capacity for high-volume, lower-value feedstocks. The data underscores the growing economic importance and complexity of the circular economy for electronics in Europe.