Destinations for the EU’s aluminium scrap exports in Q1 2026 – India and Thailand top the list despite annual declines

The image(s) used in this article is generated with an AI tool and does not depict any real-time moment

The European Union is one of the largest generators and collectors of aluminium scrap in the world, with over 80 per cent recycling rate. The demand is also robust, with an average annual volume of 8 million tonnes. Yet, the European Union exports 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of scrap during a year, which reflects 15 per cent of the volume collected domestically. In Q1 2026, the European Union exported 328,134 tonnes of aluminium scrap, - 69 per cent of which were destined to the Asian countries, according to Eurostat data.

India tops the list with reduced import volume

India remained the largest importer of aluminium scrap from the European Union during the first quarter of 2026, even though their imports declined sequentially. From January to March 2026, India imported 88,205 tonnes of aluminium scrap, down by 7.27 per cent from 95,122 tonnes during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Even though the country has a robust secondary aluminium installed capacity of over 2 million tonnes a year, accounting for about one-third of its total smelting capacity of 6.5 million tonnes per year, it still remains heavily dependent on Western countries for its scrap since domestic collection has not matured yet. That said, the Ministry of Mines is actively working to map out recyclers, track flows and close gaps between suppliers and buyers through its Aluminium Recycling Portal. The country has a largely unorganised recycling sector, with several small traders handling material. While large names like Hindalco, Gravita, and Runaya lead the way, many smaller family-run businesses actively import material, remelt the scrap and sell the finished products either in the domestic market or to China or Japan.