
Europe’s recycled aluminium industry is an important component of the global secondary aluminium supply chain, with Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) representing key national markets. Production across the European region stood at nearly 6 million tonnes in 2023, supported by established scrap recovery systems, industrial recycling capacity and demand for recycled metal. Russia also contributes to the regional landscape through secondary aluminium production units concentrated in several industrial centres. According to AL Circle’s analysis in its report, “ World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry Forecast ”, the four countries present different market structures, from Germany’s substantial recycling capacity and Italy’s scrap-based production to the UK’s organised...
According to SMM survey statistics, the operating rate of the secondary aluminium alloy industry in September was 35.0 per cent, up 3.1 percentage points M-o-M but down 6.7 percentage points Y-o-Y. Industry production continued its recovery trend, but the overall operating level remained below the same period last year. On the demand side, September marked the traditional peak consumption season, with downstream orders recovering from August. End-use demand from automobiles and other sectors improved marginally, but the peak season effect has yet to fully materialise. According to CAAM data, automobile production in September was 2.99 million units, up 11.4 per cent M-o-M but down 8.7 per cent Y-o-Y. NEV production was 1.814 million units, up 12.2 per cent Y-o-Y. CAAM noted that China's...
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) joins in the nationwide celebration of National Manufacturing Day by highlighting the many positive economic contributions of the recycling industry to the U.S. manufacturing landscape. In 2013 alone, more than 130 million metric tons of metal, paper, plastic, glass, textiles, rubber, and electronics are manufactured in specification grade commodities by the U.S. scrap recycling industry. “On National Manufacturing Day we recognize the many valuable contributions our members make to the American economy, and its potential for new innovations and job creation in the future,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “As the first link in the manufacturing supply chain, the recycling industry has been a leader in the U.S. economy, job creation,...

On its 30th anniversary, ARP, the well-known manufacturer of chip disposal and recycling systems, is celebrating its biggest order since the foundation of the company. The Ronal Group, a long-standing partner and customer of ARP, is currently building a new factory in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This is the second location in Mexico after Queretaro, where the company has been manufacturing aluminium wheels since 2001, and will have an annual capacity of 2 million aluminium wheels. The issue of chip disposal and automatic recycling and melting down of chips to return them to the wheel production process is an important variable for the economic production of aluminium wheels. ARP is proud that the Ronal Group has once more put its trust in the experience and time-tested systems of ARP. The...

Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today officially opened the world's largest aluminum recycling center. Located adjacent to the company's rolling mill in Nachterstedt, Germany, the $258 million (€200 million) recycling center will process up to 400,000 metric tons of aluminum scrap annually, turning it back into high-value aluminum ingots to feed the company's European manufacturing network. "The Nachterstedt Recycling Center is a significant step toward our goal to be the world's low-carbon aluminum sheet producer, shifting our business model from a traditional linear approach to an increasingly closed-loop model," said Phil Martens, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novelis. "This new facility further strengthens Novelis' leadership in Europe, and...

The Sustainable Development Department, in partnership with the Waste Management Section of the Ministry of Public Works, today [Sept 29] launched a new two-week Recycle Bermuda campaign. The value and importance of recycling to the island will be promoted from September 29 through October 11, 2014. A spokesperson said, “This Recycle Bermuda campaign is the brainchild of Sustainable Development volunteer and Bermuda College graduate Claudie Richardson. She, along with college student Alicia Kirby, spent time outside of their busy schedules to make this idea a reality. “According to the 2010 census, 48 percent of all households indicated that they participate in Bermuda’s TAG recycling programme [tin, aluminium, and glass], yet only 20 percent of all TAG recyclables make it into Bermuda’s...

According to Non-Ferrous Metal Industries Association (NFMIA) chairperson Bob Stone, the secondary aluminium industry has remained uncompetitive in the world market of beneficiated aluminium products, despite the directive of the preferential pricing on scrap metal, issued by the Department of Economic Development in September last year. The policy directive, which provides local industry buyers of scrap metal with a preferential price of 20% below the international price, is currently under review. Stone stated in a financial publication article last month that the policy had not been successful in lowering prices and in stemming the flow of exports, as several aluminium-scrap sellers resorted to excuses, subversion or blocking sales by undermining the policy practices, while uncertainty...

Global can maker Rexam has opened a new state-of-the-art graphics and design studio, providing a unique offering for customers with on-the-spot design expertise, platemaking and proofing. The studio, located at the heart of Rexam's European central office in Luton in the UK, showcases Rexam's graphic and design capabilities for customers. Complete with a suite for marketing teams to brainstorm designs, the studio has been developed with the customer in mind. "We recognise that visualising flat designs as three-dimensional metal cans can be difficult," said Paul Winright, European graphics & design manager. "Now our customers can brainstorm a design and by the end of the day see the artwork on a can there and then. Being able to work so closely with our customers through every step of the...

Aluminum beverage cans are once again the most recycled beverage packaging type in the United States with an industry recycling rate of 66.7 percent in 2013, according to new data released by the Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). This marks the third consecutive year the rate has held above 65 percent, compared to an average rate of 54 percent reported during the previous decade. Since it takes just 8 percent of the energy to produce recycled aluminum versus new aluminum, energy saved from this effort is enough to fuel more than 1 million cars on the road for a full year. The Aluminum Association began reporting an annual aluminum can recycling rate in 1972, with a rate of 15.4 percent. “Aluminum cans are recycled...

Rexam, one of the leading beverage can makers in the world, has initiated a “Cans for Cash” event at its Chicago headquarters. This is their fourth such event held annually proving their commitment towards increasing awareness towards sustainability and the recyclability of aluminium cans. A Rexam Can Man was seen posing with bags full of aluminium cans for recycling. The event was for charity and to raise the awareness of the local communities. The event was hosted by Rexam who had partnered with United Scrap Metal, a local recycler and were joined by Rexam’s key partners including Novelis, Wise Alloys and Tri-Arrows Aluminium Inc. The “Cans for Cash” event has gained a lot of popularity in the past four years, collecting more than 3,500 pounds of aluminium cans this year which were...

Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced the company has been accepted into World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Climate Savers program, an exclusive initiative of WWF to encourage companies to reduce their operational carbon footprint and act as agents of change within their sphere of influence. The only metals company to be accepted into the program, Novelis has made commitments to WWF to continue pursuing its aggressive sustainability targets designed to reduce Novelis' impact on climate and ensure the sustainability of Novelis' business efforts. Phil Martens, Novelis President and Chief Executive Officer said, "At Novelis, we believe that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the amount of recycled materials we use, decreasing water and energy use in...

Shapiro Metals, a nonferrous scrap metal recycling firm, has announced plans to open a scrap metal facility in Wichita, Kansas, by the middle of October 2014. The new facility will give the St. Louis-based metals recycling firm 10 locations in the United States. Bruce Shapiro, CEO of Shapiro Metals, says the new facility will measure 25,000 square feet and will focus primarily on handling nonferrous scrap metals generated by the industrial sector. No retail services will be offered at the location. Equipment at the site will include a baler, roll-off containers and other nonferrous scrap processing equipment. The location will employee roughly six people, the company says. Shapiro Metals says it decided to open the facility in Wichita at the request of a customer. “A customer of ours...

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling Industry™, today released a call for entries for the 2015 Design for Recycling (DFR) Award. The DFR Award is ISRI’s highest award given annually to the most outstanding contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. It recognizes proactive steps made by manufacturers who have actively incorporated DFR principles into products and processes. “When designing a product, manufacturers should be giving just as much of a priority to the product’s ability to be recycled as manufacturers do cost, appearance, and other factors,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “Effective recycling begins at the drawing board. ISRI is looking to reward companies, designers, and manufacturers with the mindset of producing...

Hydro wants a bigger piece of the recycling market and to strengthen its position as a leading aluminium company also in recycling. The partnership with WWF and Norwegian school children in the Tea Light Hunt campaign has increased knowledge about Hydro and aluminium recycling in Norway. During the last three years, 87,000 Norwegian children from schools and daycare centers collected nearly 30 million used tea lights for recycling, thereby saving the environment from 170 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This is a staggering amount for the children who have participated in Tea Light Hunt, but according to Hydro's plant manager at the rolling mill in Holmestrand, Kjetil Ebbesberg, the children will have a much bigger impact in the long term. "In the big scheme of things, tea lights do not contain...

According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) fraudsters are deceiving non-ferrous traders with fake deals around the globe. Chairman of BIR’s International Trade Council Robert Voss said that frauds are targeting copper, aluminium, and steel sectors with dubious deliveries. According to him these sectors are receiving scrap deliveries where “supposedly reliable suppliers have comprised nothing but concrete, ash, mud and dirt”. As spoken by Mr. Voss in the BIR’s September edition of World Mirror, “The only insurance that we as traders can take out is to know the identity and practices of who is supplying the metal to which we put our name.” His view was supported by Robert Stein, president, US Alter Trading (non-ferrous metal division): “We often pay for goods before we ever...

At its annual Packaging Seminar held yesterday in Helsinki, the European Aluminium Association (EAA) reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable packaging in Europe with the launch of its new brochure, “Aluminium packaging: convenient, safe and infinitely recyclable”. “While the EU Commission recently adopted a Circular economy package, featuring new recycling definitions, calculation methods and targets, EAA’s annual packaging seminar puts the focus on best practices across Europe to optimize recycling processes and technologies. Our new brochure launched on this occasion gives a concrete overview of the aluminium industry’s vision for more sustainable packaging in Europe. As a sector, aluminium already achieves almost 60 per cent recycling for all aluminium packaging and even 68 per cent...

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling IndustryTM, recently named Paul Brenner of Brenner Recycling (Hazleton, PA) and Scott Miller of Sims Metal Management (New York, NY) to its Board of Directors. Both will serve as directors-at-large through the 2016 term. “The addition of Paul and Scott to ISRI’s Board of Directors brings added leadership and expertise that will help lead our organization over the next two years and beyond,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “They will add to the variety of backgrounds and perspectives already on the Board, ensuring that all of our members are well-represented. I look forward to working with them as they help to shape the future of the recycling industry.” Paul Brenner is a third generation scrap dealer and...

Sweeep Suusakoski, a UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment firm has asked TOMRA Sorting to provide sensor based sorting equipment for an upgrade at the Kent recycling center and enable better sorting of metallic fractions. TOMRA, the recycling equipment manufacturer, states that they are providing two kinds of sorting machine to the recycling plant namely a TITECH finder and TITECH combisense. The task of the TITECH finder is to sort through copper wires, alloys and stainless steel from the shredder process and has the capacity of detecting particles as small as 1-2mm. The TITCH combisense would be assigned the duty of using its high resolution colour camera and metal sensor to sort out the copper bits and circuit board from aluminium, TOMRA explained. The combisense supposedly...

Japan, where 97% of beverage can are collected to be recycled and reused, is seeing a surge in the scrap aluminium prices which are the highest it has been since 2008. This surge is likely to be due to the rising car sales in China and U.S. boost demand. Aluminium-can scrap prices traded in Yokohama, the LME aluminium ingots as well as the LME monitored stockpiles for the refined metal all normalized beginning September 2013, according to the Chart of the Day comparisons. Bloomberg’s data compilation revealed a 24% rise in the benchmark scrap rate to 181.1 Yen ($1.73) per kg in comparison the LME price gained 14% and there was a 10% drop in the inventory gauge of the period. Japan’s key market for the aluminium scarp is divided amongst China, the largest automobile manufacturer in the...

Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has developed a new protocol for aluminium packaging recovered from Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA). This protocol for recycling will allow issuing of PRNs on this material from 1st Jan 2015. This is acknowledged by the Environment Agency (EA) and it could count 10,000 tonnes of recovered aluminium towards the targets set for the recovery of aluminium packaging. The new IBA protocol recognises that a minimum of 50 per cent of the non-ferrous content recovered from IBA is aluminium packaging like drinks cans, foil, aerosols etc. Aluminium packaging is recovered from IBA Across Europe and is counted towards the national aluminium packaging recycling rates. Alupro’s strategy behind this protocol is to ensure proper counting of all the...