Emirates Shipping Line to stop carrying plastic waste from October

Dubai-based Emirates Shipping Line will refuse bookings for plastic waste cargoes under HS Code 3915 from 1 October 2026, becoming only the second major ocean carrier after CMA CGM to impose an outright ban on the trade. The move follows a campaign by the Basel Action Network targeting World Shipping Council members, and reduces available carrier capacity for exporters of recovered plastic from Europe, North America and Australia.

Why this mattersFewer carriers willing to move plastic scrap could raise freight and processing costs for recyclers and packaging manufacturers dependent on recovered feedstock.

• Emirates Shipping Line stops accepting plastic waste bookings under HS Code 3915 from 1 October 2026
• It becomes the second major ocean carrier, after CMA CGM in 2022, to impose a blanket ban on the trade
• Basel Action Network lobbied World Shipping Council members to end carriage of plastic waste from developed to developing countries
• Exporters of plastic scrap from Europe, North America and Australia will need alternative carriers or domestic processing
• Reduced carrier availability may constrain feedstock supply for reprocessors in importing developing economies

Relevant to you? Yes No