German aluminium industry sees uneven growth in Q2; recyclers lead the way

The German aluminium industry experienced mixed results in production during the second quarter of 2024. While overall production trends varied, aluminium recyclers emerged as a bright spot, reporting significant gains. Recyclers produced around 725,000 tonnes of secondary aluminium from April to June, marking a 4 per cent increase compared to the previous quarter.

However, despite this positive development, the industry's performance in the first half of the year still fell short of last year's levels. Total production for the first six months stood at approximately 1.4 million tonnes, representing a 2 per cent decline compared to the same period in the previous year.

Rob van Gils, President of Aluminium Deutschland, emphasised, "Aluminium recycling is an essential building block for the decarbonisation of Europe and has enormous growth potential. The availability of scrap is essential for this. However, large quantities are exported from Europe and are not available. But without an adequate supply of scrap, we cannot achieve the goal of climate neutrality."