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On May 12, the 2026 SMM (3rd) Global Renewable Metal Industry Chain Summit & Battery Recycling Forum , organized by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), drew to a successful close at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel in Tokyo, Japan! Conference Background Driven by global sustainable development and circular economy initiatives, recycled metals and battery recycling have gained growing strategic importance. Facing rising metal demand and dwindling natural resources, recycling stands out as an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative, backed by supportive policies and investment worldwide. As a major Asian recycling powerhouse, Japan boasts robust secondary metal output and sophisticated recycling technologies. It has also rolled out massive funding plans to expand e-waste recycling infrastructure and scale up relevant processing capacity. Centered on the theme "Low Carbon, Global Echoes", the 2026 GRMI gathered worldwide enterprises, experts and officials to exchange insights on circular economy trends, technological breakthroughs and industry policies. This event comprises three forums ( Main Forum, Recycling Forum, and Renewable Resources Equipment Forum ) and multiple panel sessions. Key Highlights Reshaping the Global Recycled Metal Market — Policy Drivers and New Hotspots in India, Pakistan, the Middle East & Japan Shifting Dynamics in Southeast Asia's Recycled Metals: The Malaysia-Thailand Trade Decline and Vietnam's Rising Recycling Economy Resource Contention in the Secondary Lead Market: Redefining the Global Supply Chain Interpreting Recycled Copper Policies in China, the US, Europe, and Japan and Strategies for Future Raw Material Competition Innovation Drives Green Recycling: the Technological Frontier of China's Flotation, Crushing and Sorting Equipment Breaking Through the Challenges of the Recycling Industry: Real-World Case Studies from High-Quality Suppliers Click to view photo gallery Main Forum Opening Remarks Adam Fan, Chairman, SMM Hao Qi Chairman, KINKI SANGYO CO.LTD. May 11 Main Forum Keynote Speeches [Keynote Speech] - Global Recycled Metals Industry Market Analysis: Policy Instruments, Corporate Responses, and Future Challenges Speaker: Rock Ding, Consulting Project Manager, SMM Rock expects that aluminum scrap production will continue to grow in the future, and global aluminum scrap supply and demand will maintain a tight balance before 2030. Regarding the copper scrap market, SMM expects that from 2026 to 2030, global copper scrap market supply and demand will continue to grow, and the market will remain in a state of persistently tight supply. The global recycling industry faces challenges including shortages of recycled raw materials supply, rising resource protectionism, cross-border logistics and transportation restrictions, lack of unified global governance, bottlenecks in recycling technology, and incomplete recycling system development. [Keynote Speech] - From India to the World: Sustainable Growth and Responsibility of a Leading Recycler Speaker: Sanchit Jain, Executive Director, Jain Resource Recycling Limited Developed markets (North America, Europe) generate over 70% of the world's scrap; North America has a recycling input rate of 57%, and Europe's aluminum recycling rate reaches 81% — yet their demand growth has slowed down, with scrap becoming a surplus resource exported abroad; Developing countries are where demand is surging — yet collection rates remain below 5%, dominated by informal operators lacking traceability; Globally, policies and market initiatives promoting traceability of recycled resources and ESG disclosure are accelerating at an increasing pace. Scrap generation and consumption exhibit a regional mismatch, with the resource gap formed by supply-demand misalignment increasingly demonstrating strategic significance; Scrap is no longer simply surplus off-cuts, but a core strategic resource reshaping the global recycled resource trade landscape. Recycling Has Become a Core Pillar for Industrial Incremental Growth Why Does the Recycling Industry Hold Critical Strategic Value Today? Secondary resource supply can cover over 40% of future incremental metal demand; reducing dependence on highly volatile primary ore resources. Recycling is the optimal viable pathway for the industry to achieve sustainable and scalable development. [Keynote Speech] - URBAN MINING India's Non-Ferrous Recycling Decade Opportunities & Challenges from a Smelter's Perspective speaker: Pratik Gupta, Assistant Vice President - Operations, Pondy Oxides and Chemicals Ltd Four Core Drivers in Resonance, Continuously Driving Steady Expansion of India's Non-Ferrous Metal Demand 1. Energy Transition Acceleration India has set a clear target of achieving 500GW of non-fossil energy installed capacity by 2030. Power grid expansion, power transmission line construction, and renewable energy integration infrastructure are advancing comprehensively—all of which are high-consumption areas for copper and aluminum, directly boosting rigid demand for both metals. 2. Accelerating EV Penetration India has set a development target of 30% new energy vehicle penetration rate by 2030. A single EV uses approximately 3–4 times the amount of copper compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Meanwhile, the development of the power battery industry will give rise to an independent scrap recycling system, further opening up incremental space for non-ferrous metals. 3. Large-Scale Infrastructure Investment Implementation Leveraging the 11.1 billion rupee National Infrastructure Pipeline plan, projects including galvanized steel, power infrastructure, and urban rail transit will continue to be implemented over the next decade, providing sustained long-term support for zinc, copper, and aluminum market demand. 4. Manufacturing PLI Policy Empowerment India's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme covers 14 key industries, focusing on metal-intensive sectors such as electronics, automotive, power battery, and capital goods. With policy support, the share of domestic manufacturing continues to rise, driving steady growth in non-ferrous metal consumption. Panel Discussion: Reshaping the Global Recycled Metal Market — Policy Drivers and New Hotspots in India, Pakistan, the Middle East & Japan Moderator: Adam Fan, Chairman, SMM Panelists: Sanjeev Phadke, The Treasurer of BMR, Bureau of Middle East Recycling (BMR) Amar Singh, Secretary General, Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) Bin Zhang, Trade Director, TOUCHI INTERNATIONAL CORP. Jawed Ahmed, Founder and CEO, Al Qaryan International DMCC Recycling Forum Ketnoye Speech: Key Issues and Challenges Affecting the US Secondary Metals Industry Speaker: Adam Shaffer, Vice President of International Trade and Global Affairs, REMA Panel Discussion Shifting Dynamics in Southeast Asia's Recycled Metals: The Malaysia-Thailand Trade Decline and Vietnam's Rising Recycling Economy Moderator: Rock Ding, Consulting Project Manager, SMM Panelists: Eric Tan, President, Malaysia Nonferrous Metals Association Achirawat Thanasethatokul, Managing Director, Mahanakorn Metalscrap Co., Ltd. Jimin Choi, CEO/Founder, ETREE PTE LTD Michelle Leung, Head of Asia Metals and Mining Sustainability, Bloomberg Intelligence [Keynote Speech] - Analysis of Japan's Recycled Copper Market Speaker: AW YONG YI CHEONG, Senior Secondary Copper Analyst, SMM AW YONG YI CHEONG noted that the current Japanese copper scrap market is gradually transitioning toward a highly competitive "seller ecosystem." Trading models that rely solely on spot cargo procurement are increasingly exposed to the risk of supply disruptions. To secure long-term resource supply, enterprises purchasing externally from outside China need to move beyond traditional spot trading mindsets and establish structural cooperative relationships through deep-binding approaches such as signing long-term contracts and equity partnerships, in order to adapt to the persistently tight market landscape. Panel Discussion Resource Contention in the Secondary Lead Market: Redefining the Global Supply Chain Moderator: Rock Ding, Consulting Project Manager, SMM Panelists: Pratik Gupta, Assistant Vice President - Operations, Pondy Oxides and Chemicals Ltd Eric Tan, President, Malaysia Nonferrous Metals Association Panel Discussion Interpreting Recycled Copper Policies in China, the US, Europe, and Japan and Strategies for Future Raw Material Competition Moderator: AW YONG YI CHEONG, Senior Secondary Copper Analyst, SMM Panelists: Allan Zhang, Head of the Recycled Copper Business Unit, Hailiang Group Co., Ltd. Mr. Vishal Jatia, CEO, GREENLAND AMERICA INC WENCESLAO MANZANO HERNANDEZ, Director, DIMEXA HOLDINGS PTE. LTD. Shunsuke Kuwada, Overseas Manager, Hirata Corporation Co.,Ltd Yoshimichi Murakami, Executive Director, Wakoh Metal Co., Ltd. [Keynote Speech] - Current Status of Lead-Acid Battery in Japan Speaker: Yuji Tanamachi, CEO, IRUNIVERSE The volume of lead-acid battery scrap generated in Japan continues to decline. The reason is the sharp decrease in the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) retired in China. Over a decade ago, the number of ELVs generated in Japan exceeded 5 million units, but now it is approximately 2.7 million units, nearly halved. The chart on the right shows the increase in the average service life of passenger vehicles. The significant decline in ELV numbers was mainly driven by two factors: first, continued decline in new car sales in Japan, directly driven by population decline; second, the climbing scale of used car exports. Since the auction model was popularized in Japan a decade ago, not only ordinary used cars but even retired vehicles could be traded through auctions. Logically, a decrease in total ELV numbers should lead to a corresponding reduction in the number of dismantling enterprises. However, the reality was quite the opposite: the number of dismantling enterprises backed by ex-China capital from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Kurdish region, and China continued to grow. Award Ceremony SMM Recycled Metals Industry Premium Scrap Yards SMM Recycled Metals Industry Premium Traders SMM Recycled Metals Industry Premium Equipment Enterprises May 12 Renewable Resources Equipment Forum Panel Discussion Innovation Drives Green Recycling: the Technological Frontier of China's Flotation, Crushing and Sorting Equipment Moderator: Bo Zhou, EVP, SMM Panelists: Owen Liang, Deputy General Manager, Foshan GreenField Environmental Protection Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. Xian Lu, Chairman, Shandong Luyou renewable resources equipment Co., Ltd. Haihua Cheng, International Trade Minister, Jiangsu Huahong Technology Stock Co.,Ltd. [Keynote Speech] - Volatility Eats Margins for Breakfast Managing Risk Now That Tariffs, Geopolitics, And Supply Shocks Have Driven Base Metal Prices to Multi-year Extremes Speaker: Harsha Ramesh, CEO & Co-founder, Pillar Hedge Aluminum—Supply Shock From February to April 2026, aluminum prices surged by over 20% at their peak within just two months, driven by the following key factors: Strait of Hormuz Disruption: Iran conflict closes shipping lanes; approximately 9% of global supply at risk Gulf Production Hit: EGA flagship plant shut down for up to one year; Bahrain's ALBA halted Compounding Tariff Impact: US Midwest premiums widened significantly, tariffs reshaped physical trade flows Keynote Speech: Precision Sorting Green Future Speaker: Jianan Li, Overseas Sale, Zhejiang Tianli Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. [Panel Discussion] - Breaking Through the Challenges of the Recycling Industry: Real-World Case Studies from High-Quality Suppliers Networking among medium-to-large-scale scrap yards/traders Conference Check-in The 2026 SMM (3rd) Global Renewable Metal Industry Chain Summit & Battery Recycling Forum has now come to a successful conclusion. We sincerely appreciate the strong support from all industry participants and partners. Looking forward to meeting you again next year!

[SMM Analysis]: Copper-related Policy Shifts Across the Americas: Copper is no longer merely an industrial metal — it is rapidly emerging as a strategic resource. From mining policy reforms in Chile and Peru, to the U.S. Section 232 investigation and the strengthening of North American critical minerals strategies, copper policies across the Americas in 2025–2026 are set to exert profound influence over global copper supply-demand balances, smelting dynamics, and copper price volatility.

I. Market Status: Negative TCs Enter Triple Digits, Structural Tightening in Copper Concentrate Supply-Demand As global smelter capacity continues to climb, China, as the world's largest copper smelting country, faces a continuously declining self-sufficiency rate in copper concentrates and rising external dependency. Compounded by geopolitical crises, production cuts by ex-China miners, declining mine grades, and frequent production accidents, the copper industry has undergone a dramatic shift from "tight balance" to "structural deficit." Currently, the global copper concentrate market has fallen into a state of persistently tight supply. On May 15, the SMM Imported Copper Concentrate Index (weekly) reported -$102.84/dmt, breaking through the -$100/dmt threshold for the first time in history, setting a record negative depth. The payable indicator for 20%-grade domestic trade ore was 97.5%-98.5%, up 0.5 percentage points MoM. Supply-side factors driving TCs persistently lower continue to accumulate. 1) Full production resumptions at Freeport's Grasberg mine have fallen short of expectations. According to Freeport's Q1 earnings call, the company plans to achieve full production resumptions by the end of 2027; 2) The Peruvian government signed Emergency Decree No. 003-2026 on May 11, triggering widespread market concerns over the country's energy supply and copper mine output; 3) Geopolitical disruptions—the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has driven sulfur prices persistently higher, pushing smelting acid prices to rise continuously. With smelting profits climbing, smelters' purchase willingness has increased, driving copper concentrate TCs persistently lower. Customs data showed that China's copper ore and concentrate imports in April 2026 were 2.352 million mt in physical content, down 19.57% YoY; cumulative imports from January to April were 9.915 million mt in physical content, down 0.8% compared to the same period last year. Since December 2020, China's copper concentrate cumulative imports had maintained positive YoY growth; this marks the first decline in over five years. II. Smelter Operating Rates Stay High Contrary to the intuition of "industry-wide losses" implied by deeply negative TCs, operating rates at China's copper smelters have not experienced a cliff-like decline. From a pure smelting perspective, operating willingness and actual profitability across different types of enterprises show significant divergence. Under the extreme environment of deeply negative TCs, the core reason China's copper smelters can maintain relatively resilient operations is that by-product revenues are becoming the key variable determining break-even. Meanwhile, China's copper cathode production declined MoM due to the maintenance peak. SMM data showed that China's copper cathode production in April fell 2.26% MoM. Cumulative copper cathode production from January to April 2026 reached 4.7067 million mt. However, according to SMM, some smelters postponed their maintenance plans or completed crude smelting maintenance ahead of schedule to capture revenue from the by-product sulphuric acid. III. Breakdown of Smelter Profit Sources (i) Sulphuric Acid: The Strongest Profit Contributor at the Current Stage Sulphuric acid is currently the most important by-product profit source for smelters. In pyrometallurgy-based copper cathode production, approximately 3-4 mt of sulphuric acid is produced as a by-product for every 1 mt of copper cathode. As of May 15, the SMM China Copper Smelting Acid Index stood at 1,665 yuan/mt, up 83.7% from the beginning of the year. Sulphuric acid prices currently stay high, meaning sulphuric acid revenue can offset a considerable portion of the revenue loss caused by negative TCs. However, this "sulphuric acid moat" is facing policy challenges. China suspended exports of ordinary industrial sulphuric acid and smelting by-product sulphuric acid starting in May for a period of 8 months. The export ban is not intended to suppress domestic sulphuric acid prices, but rather to prioritize domestic supply for agricultural phosphate fertiliser production and strategic industries such as new energy. Demand side, overall sulphuric acid demand remains tight. Although downstream sectors including phosphate fertiliser, titanium dioxide, and new energy materials saw declining operating rates due to high-priced raw materials, just-in-time procurement still exists. Meanwhile, the supply side is also constrained by concentrated smelter maintenance and high sulphur-based acid production costs, with industry-wide capacity utilization rates at low levels. Cost side, firm sulphur prices provide bottom support for sulphuric acid; supply side, concentrated maintenance limits downside room; demand side, although weak, has not yet formed a substantial enough impact to break down high prices. This means sulphuric acid continues to serve as a profit pillar for smelters. (ii) Precious Metal Recovery: "Incremental Game" Under High Copper Prices In addition, copper concentrates typically contain associated precious metals such as gold and silver, which can be recovered through anode slime processing during smelting. Copper prices are currently at historically high levels, and gold prices also fluctuate at highs, greatly enhancing the economics of precious metal recovery. According to SMM market sources, when gold and silver prices are at high levels, raw materials with impurities rich in gold and silver are assigned extremely high added value. The profit contribution of precious metal recovery to smelters is reflected in: smelters can achieve recovery utilization rates exceeding the gold and silver payable indicators through refined processing, profiting from spot smelting revenue. This portion of revenue is often a significant component of smelters' comprehensive profit structure. However, as gold and silver prices continue to rise, suppliers in the copper concentrates spot trade are simultaneously raising gold and silver payable indicators. The continuously rising precious metal payable indicators and payable benchmark pose an increasingly severe challenge to smelter profitability. IV. Future Trends: Coexistence of Industry Landscape Evolution and Technology Upgrade Requirements However, industry chain profits are irreversibly shifting toward the upstream ore side. Under the medium and long-term landscape of persistently tightening copper concentrates supply and demand, the scarcity value of the resource side is being reassessed by the market. As the copper concentrates supply-demand gap persists over the medium and long-term horizon, and smelters' bargaining power will remain under pressure over the long term. The market is widely concerned about whether TC can quickly pull back in tandem once the continuously rising sulphuric acid prices reach a turning point. Facing the long-term trend of profit squeeze at the mine end and losses in the smelting segment, the future landscape of the copper smelting industry will evolve in the following directions: Direction 1: Integrated consolidation extending upstream. Enterprises with upstream mine assets will have a significant advantage in profitability. Direction 2: Technological upgrades to achieve differentiated competition. Against the backdrop of narrowing profit margins from non-payable metals, the technological barriers of smelters will become increasingly important. Those who can more efficiently extract valuable metals from low-grade ore or complex ore will seize the initiative in the industry reshuffle. Under the extreme environment of persistently negative TCs, sulphuric acid by-product revenue and precious metal recovery are the core profit pillars currently sustaining smelter operations. The supply-demand pattern dictates that the pricing power and profit margins at the mine end will continue to outperform those at the smelting end. The copper smelting industry is transitioning from the traditional model of "earning TCs" to a new competitive landscape of "resource control + technological barriers + integrated operations."