Aluminium industry unites to drive forward a recycling agenda for Europe

On the occasion of the 13th International Aluminium Recycling Congress, the European aluminium industry reaffirmed its ambition for a long-lasting circular economy, expressing high expectations for a new and improved waste proposal from the European Commission later this year.

Speaking at the Congress, Chair of the EAA’s Recycling Division Roberta Niboli commented “In Europe and across the globe, we are faced with increasingly limited resources and the environmental and economic challenges that arise as a result. By taking concrete steps to promote resource efficiency in Europe and new models to guarantee a closed recycling loop, we can secure a steady supply of recyclable material to society, reduce our dependence on foreign imports and turn waste into new, innovative products over and over again. Recycled aluminium makes sense both from an economic and an environmental perspective and is instrumental to the circular economy”.

EAA Director-General Gerd Götz added “The aluminium industry has high expectations for an ambitious and improved proposal for Europe’s circular economy this year. It is crucial for the European Commission to deliver a new package focused on improving collection and sorting processes, eliminating the landfill of post-consumer recyclable waste, and driving investment in the recycling value-chain in Europe. Inventiveness throughout the process, from sorting and bottom ash collection to innovative approaches to built-in recyclability for end products, is the key to the sector’s long-term success.”

Not only is aluminium infinitely recyclable, its application in key European markets leads to impressive product recycling rates, notably 95% in buildings and transport and 60% in packaging.

Hosted by the European Aluminium Association, the 13th International Aluminium Recycling Congress convened over 120 experts from across the world involved in aluminium recycling. Participants engaged on highly relevant and topic issues relating to market trends, the deployment of state-of-the-art technology and the latest political developments in the field of aluminium recycling.