
SRF Ltd is expanding its presence in the aluminium foil sector with a planned investment of INR 6 billion (USD 63.5 million) in a battery-grade aluminium foil manufacturing facility in Madhya Pradesh, as the chemicals producer reported a 31 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit for the second quarter of FY27. The proposed plant will have an annual production capacity of 12,000 tonnes and cater to lithium-ion (Li-ion) and sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery applications. The investment comes as energy storage and electric mobility sectors drive demand for battery materials. The company’s board has approved the investment, with the facility planned at the existing site of its subsidiary, SRF Altech Ltd, at Jetapur in Madhya Pradesh. SRF to build 12,000t battery-grade aluminium...
The Port of Oswego Authority has called for a temporary suspension of US tariffs on Canadian goods, saying the 50 per cent duty on Canadian aluminum is reducing shipments, working hours and revenue. Tom Drumm, executive director of the Port of Oswego Authority, said the tariffs have made an already difficult business environment more challenging. In a recent interview, he called for an economic ceasefire to give Great Lakes ports, customers and suppliers some relief before the end of 2026. In his words, “It's an economic ceasefire, in its most simplest terms… if the Great Lakes could get some breathing room here the next two months, it would really set us up for success heading into 2027.” Between April and October 2023, the port handled around 60,000 tons of aluminum across 11 vessel...
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Be it clean-energy investments or shifting power-generation targets to strategic recycling alliances and evolving mining frameworks, the aluminium value chain is in a phase of rapid transformation across major markets. Fresh developments in sustainability, supply security, technology upgrades and regional policy shifts are setting the tone for 2025–26, signalling a landscape where upstream, midstream and downstream players may need to rethink their competitive footing. Weekly Sustainability & Recycled AL recap by AL Circle Pvt Ltd Clean energy investment driving aluminium demand The US, in Q3 2025, has recorded a total investment of USD 75 billion in clean energy. The rise in investment is owed to a significant increase in electric vehicle adoption, a boom in solar power and a growing...

Metro Mining’s 2025 record has fetched improved figures in bauxite shipping activity, 5.69 million wet metric tonnes (WMT) of bauxite from the Bauxite Hills Operation in northern Queensland from January to November. Ranging from month-on-month (M-o-M) to year-on-year (Y-o-Y) comparison between the results of 2025 has shown a better performance, overcoming transhipping challenges and utilising the shipping modifications. Image for representational purpose only (source: https://www.alcircle.com/ ) Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain November 2025 saw a shipment of 783 thousand WMT, despite challenging situations in the month. The shipments were carried out in 28 working days. 2 days were lost due to tropical cyclone Fina, resulting...

Aluminium isn’t just another industrial staple, but the Earth’s most abundant metallic element, quietly making up nearly 8 per cent of the planet’s crust. And almost all of it starts with bauxite: a humble, rust-tinged ore rich in the aluminium minerals gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore. Look closely at the map, and a pattern emerges — the world’s richest bauxite belts lie in today’s tropics or regions shaped by tropical geology, from Guinea and Australia to Vietnam, Brazil and Jamaica. The scale is staggering. The US Geological Survey estimates that, as of 2024, the world is sitting on nearly 29 billion tonnes of known bauxite reserves. Source: https://www.alcircle.com/specialreport/2439/global-aluminium-industry-outlook-2025 Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with...

Vedanta’s stock has entered a strong momentum zone. The global metal producer hit a new high of INR 542 (USD 6.03) on the BSE on Thursday, December 4, rising 2 per cent in intra-day trade. The stock has now rallied 10 per cent in eight sessions, reflecting a notable shift in investor sentiment. Over the past six months, vedanta limited has surged 24 per cent, sharply outperforming the BSE Sensex’s 5 per cent and the BSE Metal Index’s 12 per cent rise. The current rally is not a one-off. It is the outcome of operational discipline - seen in reduced aluminium cash costs and steady zinc volumes - along with firmer global aluminium premiums, strategic expansion, and stronger global cues that are aligning at the same time. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+...

Topglass has completed its largest aluminium-based project in the Northern Regional College (NRC) Ballymena Campus. The project includes the installation of aluminium windows, doors, and curtain walling within the campus building. This project was delivered by Toplass in association with Heron Bros. Topglass has showcased its potential to deliver an effective facade solution within time by utilising its technical expertise. Leveraging the accomplishment, Toplass is now associated with the full production at the Ballycastle Shared Education Campus. Moreover, it is also associated with the Heron Bros for the project of Northern Ireland’s education sector. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain Topglass’s Operations Manager, Hugh...

The Tasmanian Government has moved to stabilise the immediate future of Bell Bay Aluminium (BBA) by extending its power agreement with Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s top renewable generator, for one year. The agreement protects more than 550 jobs and ensures uninterrupted operations while the state finalises long-term arrangements with Canberra. Tasmanian Minister for Energy and Renewables Nick Duigan says this one-year deal creates room to confirm BBA’s eligibility for the Green Aluminium Production Credit Scheme, a key federal mechanism intended to support low-carbon metal production. According to him, it is a small step towards a long-term, sustainable arrangement with Canberra. “ Smelters across the nation are facing headwinds , and this national challenge requires a national response,”...

The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) is joining hands with Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) to set up a European alliance aimed at one particular objective. This objective is to boost the recycling efficiency for small aluminium packaging, like coffee capsules. With this partnership and the initiative, creating the right conditions for effective collection, sorting and high-quality, scalable recycling of these packaging types throughout Europe is significantly possible. The requirements as set by the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) clarify the need for the industry to step up its game with clear actions. Aluminium is deemed to boast impressive recycling rates, but smaller aluminium packaging is still considered to be lagging. Small packaging may include coffee...

On Wednesday, December 3, CLSA renewed its outperform rating on Hindalco and lifted the target price to INR 965 ( USD 11.63) per share following a round of investor interactions. The brokerage firm said the conversations pointed to growing confidence in the company’s earnings outlook and in the broader direction of aluminium prices. According to CLSA, even when the LME aluminium benchmark price had eased to USD 2,600 per tonne, a level lower than today’s spot price of roughly USD 2,850 per tonne, Hindalco’s ongoing investments in new capacity and its push for wider margins could place it on course to nearly double its EBITDA within five years. This expansion, it added, would likely translate into much stronger free cash flow as the cycle progresses. Explore- Most accurate data to drive...

With the stocks coming under intense pressure and sellers crowding the market without a single buyer, Global Aluminium is going through a turbulent time. No buyers for an extended phase have pushed the stock into three straight sessions of losses, causing concerns if this slide is the outcome of the broader market stress or aluminium company-specific distress within the Trading & Distributors space. Sharper slide than the broader market Worldwide Aluminium’s slide intensified on December 3 2025, as the stock fell 4.95 per cent, sharply underperforming the Sensex, which dipped 0.26 per cent. The weakness has persisted, with the share losing 6.64 per cent over the week compared with the Sensex’s 0.81 per cent drop. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports...

Across the Gulf, the primary aluminium and alumina sector has been moving at a noticeably different pace this year. Aluminium output across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been edging lower through 2025, a trend that becomes clear once the latest numbers are lined up against last year’s. In the first ten months, smelters produced 5,128 thousand tonnes, compared with 5,282 thousand tonnes in the same period of 2024 — roughly a 2.9 per cent drop. Many operators sensed the shift even before the figures confirmed it, as daily output that once hovered around 17.2–17.5 thousand tonnes last year has settled closer to 16.7–17.0 thousand tonnes in 2025. Quarterly numbers confirm it. Q1 settled at 1.52 million tonnes compared with 1.58 million tonnes last year same period, and the daily...

On December 4, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price showed no change from the previous day’s close. On the other hand, 3-month prices rose slightly with a decline in the future contracts, but the openning stock and cancelled warrants dipped, but the live warrants held firm. The LME cash bid and offer price showed no change on December 4 in comparison to December 3 and each settled at USD 2,853 per tonne and USD 2,854 per tonne, respectively. The 3-month bid and offer rose by USD 2 per tonne or 0.1 per cent, where the bid reached USD 2,884 per tonne, up from USD 2,882 per tonne and the offer at USD 2,885 per tonne, up from USD 2,883 per tonne. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain The December 26 bid and offer declined by...

East Coast Canning is preparing to roll out a new resealable aluminium can format in Australia and New Zealand after signing a partnership with Swedish packaging innovator Meadow. The deal will see the Australian company act as the regional gateway for the company’s MEADOW KAPSUL system, taking the technology into sectors well beyond its traditional beverage base. Under the agreement, East Coast Canning will supply printed cans alongside the KAPSUL system’s bespoke resealable components and dispensers. The arrangement is aimed at brand owners across food and drink, personal care, home care and other consumer goods categories, positioning the company as the local enabler of the technology’s expansion. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value...

Vedanta Limited (VEDL), through its subsidiary, ESL Steel (ESL), is to raise INR 2 billion (USD 223 million) by using 10 to 12 per cent non-convertible debentures. The raise must meet its funding obligations of Vedanta Resources Limited (VRL) of USD 206 million to Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) by the end of 2025. Though presented as a regular refinancing gimmick, calculations suggest otherwise — a collapse of the Group’s deleveraging strategy. Image source: Vedanta Limited Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain ESL faces dire financial distress due to its inability to repay or service the debts. It is being utilised as a funding vehicle for raising and channelising the proceeds to meet the liquidity deadlines of VRL. Over the past 5...

With the US imposing tariff rules at the beginning of 2025, India’s exporters face a hit in shipment volumes. Statistics by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) reveal India’s sales to the United States dropped by 28.5 per cent between May and October, following the implementation of Washington’s revised duties. Exporters experienced early stress with shipments reduced from USD 8.83 billion to USD 6.31 billion, just as tariff adjustments were being introduced. But the situation escalated quickly with US tariffs rising from 10 per cent in April to 50 per cent in late August. GTRI warns that these downturns may translate into employment pressure if demand does not recover soon. The impact has not been limited to consumer goods. Exports of: Industrial metals, including aluminium, iron...

On Monday, December 2, the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that South Korea’s plea to reduce import tariffs from 25 per cent to 15 per cent has been accepted, retroactive to November 1. These tariffs include the duties levied on autos. This has been done as South Korea introduced a new legislation in parliament, aiming to meet strategic investment commitments with the United States. Previously, the US slapped a 25 per cent tariff on goods coming in from South Korea, including automobile duties related to national security, which fall under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Besides this, “reciprocal” tariffs were imposed through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. In a statement posted on X, Lutnick asserted that besides reducing the...

China, which has been the long-standing dominator of rare earths and its supply chain, imposed strict restrictions on rare earth exports on October 8. Many dependents on China’s rare earth, including the US and the EU, faced impacts, but later on, managed to strike a year-long truce. Beside China, the EU also entered into rare earth supply agreements with Canada, Namibia, Chile and others. Meanwhile, the bloc is also targeting to become self-reliant with 10 per cent extraction, 40 per cent processing and 15 per cent recycling. We are here to analyse if self reliance with no trace of domestic rare earth mining would be feasible for Europe. EU’s imports of rare earth from China As per the report of Statista, the EU imports nearly half of its rare earth from China, followed by Russia, which...

Constellium announces the start-up of aluminium finishing lines at its Singen plant in Germany. This groundbreaking achievement in partnership with Lotte Infracell. The production of cutting-edge lines in a safe and sustainable environment is the result of the investment of EUR 30 million, announced in 2024. Image for referential purpose only (source: https://www.indiamart.com/) Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain The project aims to supply high-quality aluminium foil stock in Europe for battery applications. Constellium executed it in collaboration with Lotte Infracell, a subsidiary of Lotte Aluminium. The equipment was installed after the construction of the new building in April 2025. The official production started when the...

As reported to the Parliament on Monday, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) informed that it is pushing its efforts in exploring essential and strategic minerals. This will include the launch of 230 projects in the current fiscal year, up from 195 last year. As a reply to the question raised in the Rajya Sabha, G. Kishan Reddy, the Coal and Mines Minister of India, shed light on the initiative that the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust (NMEDT) have affirmed to 62 exploration projects in the last financial year, along with 36 more planned for 2025 and 2026. Also read: Cabinet clears ₹7,280 crore push to reshape India’s rare earth magnet future In the same reply, the minister further states that, for strengthening the critical mineral sector, several different initiatives...