CBAM Locks Down the European Fastener Market, While India Looks for a Way In

01 · Climate Policy

CBAM Levels the Playing Field — and Gives Polish Manufacturers an Edge [1]

The CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) now also covers steel fasteners — bolts, nuts, washers, and other small but strategically important components. In practice, this means importers bringing such products in from outside the EU now have to pay for the CO2 emissions "embedded" in their manufacturing process. This changes the rules of the game: EU manufacturers who have spent years investing in cleaner technologies are no longer penalized with higher costs, while competitors relying on cheaper, more emissions-intensive steel lose the price advantage they used to enjoy.

Industry commentary points to a specific beneficiary of this shift — Śrubena Unia from Żywiec, part of the Mangata group. The company ships around 13 million fasteners a month, and its market position today is said to rest not on having the cheapest raw steel, but on the quality and technological sophistication of its production. These are exactly the strengths — hard for non-EU competitors to replicate — that CBAM is now putting front and center for customers.

Not everyone, however, is sitting back and waiting for these new entry barriers to take hold. Quite the opposite — some non-EU manufacturers are actively looking for ways to maintain, or even grow, their presence in the European market despite the tighter requirements.