On January 19, 2026, China's recycled copper industry received a major piece of good news: After years of technological research and industrial upgrading, China's annual recycled copper production has exceeded 1 million tons for the first time, setting a new historical record. This milestone achievement marks a significant breakthrough in China's circular economy sector and will make an important contribution to the balance of global copper supply and demand. According to the latest data from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, China's recycled copper production reached 1.023 million tons in 2025, increasing by 18.7% compared to the previous year, accounting for 28.5% of the global total recycled copper production. This achievement is attributed to the country's vigorous support for circular economy and the continuous investment in technological innovation by enterprises. In recent years, China's recycled copper industry has faced challenges such as complex raw material sources, incomplete recycling systems, and uneven technical levels. To overcome these bottlenecks, the country has introduced a series of policies to encourage the recycling and utilization of renewable resources, including tax incentives and subsidy support, guiding enterprises to increase investment in technological research and development. In terms of technological innovation, leading domestic enterprises have successfully overcome key technical difficulties in the recycling process of recycled copper by combining imported advanced technologies with independent research and development. For example, Jiangxi Copper Group's "low-temperature non-oxygen melting technology" has increased the recovery rate of recycled copper to over 98.5%, while significantly reducing energy consumption and pollutant emissions. Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group has established the country's first intelligent recycled copper factory, achieving full-process automation control from raw material sorting to product output. The rapid development of the recycled copper industry not only alleviates China's reliance on primary copper but also makes significant contributions to environmental protection. Data shows that for every 1 ton of recycled copper produced, 105 tons of water, 1.2 tons of standard coal, 0.3 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 1.7 tons of solid waste are saved.
The production of 1 million tons of recycled copper is equivalent to reducing the consumption of 1.2 million tons of standard coal, providing strong support for China's "carbon neutrality" goal. The president of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association's Recycled Metal Branch stated: "The breakthrough of recycled copper production exceeding 1 million tons is an important milestone in China's circular economy development. In the future, we will continue to promote industrial upgrading, strengthen technological innovation, and improve the recycling system, striving to increase the recycled copper production to over 2 million tons by 2030." Industry experts believe that the rise of China's recycled copper industry will have a profound impact on the global copper market. With the increase in recycled copper supply, it will effectively alleviate the global copper resource shortage and provide a stable raw material guarantee for the development of new energy and AI industries. At the same time, China's technical experience in recycled copper will also provide a reference model for other countries. This good news has been welcomed by domestic copper processing enterprises, who have expressed their intention to increase the proportion of recycled copper usage and reduce production costs. A large cable enterprise's executive stated: "The improvement in the quality of recycled copper and the increase in production have given us confidence to further expand the proportion of recycled copper usage while ensuring product quality, achieving a win-win situation of economic benefits and environmental benefits." In the context of increasingly volatile global copper prices, the breakthrough of China's recycled copper industry has injected stability into the market. In the future, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous expansion of the industrial scale, recycled copper is expected to become an important pillar of China's copper supply system, providing solid support for the high-quality development of China's economy.
