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Europe holds 10% of global aluminium extrusion demand, supported by Germany’s Constellium, France’s Hydro Extrusions & Italy’s Metra
Across Europe, aluminium extrusion has become closely woven into some of the region’s biggest industrial and construction markets. From automotive and transport to buildings and industrial applications, extruded profiles are finding demand across a wide range of sectors. This is reflected in Europe’s position in the global market: the region accounted for 12 per cent of global aluminium extrusion capacity, making it the second-largest regional contributor after China. At the same time, Europe represented 10 per cent of global aluminium extrusion usage, out of total global usage of 35.35 million tonnes . With production capacity and usage shares relatively close, Europe’s extrusion capacity and consumption are broadly at par. If we break down Europe’s 10 per cent share of global aluminium...
H1 2026 sees more renewable energy than ever: Here’s a region-by-region guide to renewable energy supply in the recent past
In the first half of 2025, humanity generated more electricity from renewables than from coal for the first time ever. What led to it? It was possible only because of two decades of falling solar panel prices, taller wind turbines, and governments finally treating clean power like an economic opportunity instead of a favour to the planet. But the renewable energy scenario cannot be portrayed as a single global story. To get the full picture, one has to connect dozens of regional stories moving at wildly different speeds. Some countries are already powered almost entirely by sun, wind and water. Others are still warming up. Here is a tour of how renewable energy supply looks across the world’s regions right now, and who is actually leading the charge. The global scorecard: Renewable energy...
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H1’26 LME aluminium stocks dip 31.82%: Russian sanctions & Gulf crisis pack a double blow
As we reflect on the Middle East crisis that commenced on February 28, 2026, and stretched into the second half of the year, it brings to mind the dramatic rise and fall of the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price that reached four-year highs before cooling down. The skyrocketing prices result from the declining inventory levels of the LME aluminium stocks, thereby reporting a month-on-month decline from 498,670 tonnes in January to 320,314 tonnes in June. LME H1 inventory trend: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 How has the LME aluminium inventory scenario fared across the January-June period? Here is the six-month cumulative year-on-year comparison among 2026, 2025 and 2024: H1 2026 – 2.48 million tonnes, down 12.88 per cent Y-o-Y H1 2025 – 2.85 million tonnes, down 31.82 per cent Y-o-Y H1...
AL Circle Analysis: Import rise meets demand growth on aluminium extrusion chessboard
Aluminium’s downstream trade network is getting more fragmented as import dependence, changing end-use demand and trade-policy interventions reshape regional markets. From North America and Europe to Asia-Pacific, the aluminium industry is navigating a market where access to supply, competitive pricing, origin and industrial demand are gaining equal traction as overall consumption growth. These developments offer a glimpse into how geopolitical and trade networks could influence aluminium’s downstream expansion. North America: Import flows shift as downstream demand stays strong The North American market provides the clearest starting point for understanding the changing aluminium trade network. US imports of semi-fabricated aluminium products reached 423,000 tonnes in Q1 2026, up 30.56...
AL Circle Analysis: Rising bauxite supply, India’s alumina surplus and US policy reshape the aluminium industry
The bauxite and alumina industry has been busy repositioning itself on several fronts. Companies are expanding mining and smelting capacity, exploring new resource regions and moving towards higher-value products, while governments are stepping in to protect strategically important alumina assets. At the same time, changing trade flows and softer regional premiums are offering a mixed picture for buyers and sellers. The developments point to a common industry response: secure more supply, diversify where it comes from and capture more value from each tonne. Companies are expanding, but not in the same direction Growth plans across the industry show that producers are taking different routes to strengthen their positions. Ashapura Minechem is expanding its Guinea bauxite operations while...
US industrial policy needs to be systematic, not just ad hoc – Part 2
Our current approach can win economic skirmishes, but not the geopolitical conflict. – Part 2 Impact #5 of ad hoc industrial policy: Failing to use all required tools Industrial policy is often caricatured as just tariffs and subsidies. Mis-framed debates that evaluate the merits of tariffs in isolation (inevitably concluding against them) are a dime a dozen. But the industrial policy toolbox is much larger, and industrial policy can only be rightly evaluated as the success or failure of an attempt to deploy a package of tools. This includes tariffs, quotas, local-content rules, stage-differential tariffs, procurement requirements, export controls, investment screening, publicly funded R&D, tax credits, loan guarantees, federal equity stakes, technological standards-setting, workforce...
US industrial policy needs to be systematic, not just ad hoc – Part 1
Our current approach can win economic skirmishes, but not the geopolitical conflict. – Part 1 After decades during which the very concept was taboo and the reality swept under the rug, the US has now rediscovered industrial policy. But this rediscovery remains incomplete, as too much of it is reactive, scattered, and driven by whichever crisis has the attention of the moment. This ad hoc approach can win a few economic skirmishes, but it will not be enough to win Cold War II. Simply scaling up more and more ad hoc policies, the trajectory we are now on, will never produce a coherent strategy. This is because what counts is not the number of policies, their aggregate budget, or even how widespread they are. What counts is whether they fit together, effectively support each other, and serve...
Carbonation curing could extend the field life of red mud-based backfill, new study suggests
Chinese researchers show that a few extra hours of CO2 curing can roughly double the wet-dry service life of red mud–CFB ash–MgO backfill, while keeping leaching of hazardous elements low even after weeks of exposure to alkaline red mud liquor. Red mud remains one of the aluminium industry’s largest unresolved waste streams. Global bauxite residue generation has been running well above 175 million tonnes a year, against roughly 140-155 million tonnes of alumina output, and only a small fraction of that residue, commonly cited at around 2-5 per cent, is currently converted into a saleable by-product. The rest continues to swell tailings dams that, by some industry estimates, already hold more than 4 billion tonnes of accumulated material worldwide. Turning red mud into cemented backfill...
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