Associations demand North American Aluminum Trade Committee formation for the close monitoring of cross-border trades

The Aluminum Association, Instituto Mexicano del Aluminio, and the Aluminium Association of Canada demand the creation of a North American Aluminum Trade Committee (NAATC). On Thursday, March 21, the associations wrote a letter to trade officials in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, conveying their demand while highlighting the importance of fair aluminium trade within North America.

The letter notes, “The free and fair trade of aluminum within North America has benefited our respective industries and the hundreds of thousands of well-paying manufacturing jobs they represent. We stand together in our continued commitment to the USMCA framework to set the conditions through which aluminum can be freely and fairly traded in the region. Looking ahead to the 2026 review of the USMCA, we are confident that the issues we have identified can and will be addressed to ensure continued cooperative trade in the region.”

Following are the few areas wherein the North American aluminium industry intends to pay close attention:

1) The first and foremost is the formation of a North American Aluminum Trade Committee (NAATC), which will look after the consultation and collaboration between the Canadian, Mexican, and US aluminium industries. The group will bring together government, industry, and non-governmental stakeholders to conduct discussions on particular issues and identify and address challenges in the domestic market.

 2) The North American aluminium industry is focused on monitoring and data transparency in the aluminium trade since the time each country agreed to establish a process for monitoring aluminium and steel trade between them as part of the condition mutually decided upon removing Section 232 tariffs. The United States and Canada have already designed new and enhanced aluminium import monitoring programs, while Mexico is yet to join them. The US and Canada have urged the Mexican government to join them and honour its responsibility towards import monitoring.

3) The North American aluminium industry’s focus also includes combating the unfair and illegal aluminium trading that has challenged the global industry in recent years. Both the United States and Mexico have pursued successful antidumping and countervailing duties against unfairly aluminium trade from China and other countries over the past several years. Going ahead, vigilance and enforcement of global trade laws will continue in the sector.

4) Last but not least, support to achieve decarbonisation and broader sustainability goals. The efforts will increase towards research for next-generation production techniques and enhanced recycling. Aluminium produced in North America is some of the cleanest in the world, with carbon emissions declining more than 50 per cent since 1991.