Aluminium’s trade map is no longer drawn by smelters alone. Scrap flows, power contracts, industrial policy and specialist grades now shape who secures metal, at what cost and under whose rules. Ten recent developments across Europe, the US, Australia, Japan and Mexico show how recycling, energy and regulation are becoming the new levers of aluminium competitiveness. They also show where traders, exporters and policymakers may need to adjust. Scrap tug-of-war: the US pull, Europe’s leak and the recycling base at stake The pull starts with price. The US UBC scrap benchmark averaged USD 2,322.89 a tonne in July, USD 2,491.22 in August and USD 2,602.51 in September. That is a 12 per cent climb, and it came after a July that opened at USD 2,464.98 and fell to USD 2,270.76 within two days....
Nespresso is expanding its aluminium coffee capsule recycling network across New Zealand, adding 25 JB Hi-Fi stores as collection points and bringing the total number of participating retail locations to 138. The move gives coffee drinkers more places to return used capsules, helping make recycling a little easier after that final, satisfying sip. The new collection points join existing locations at Briscoes and Noel Leeming stores. The expansion also complements other return options available through Nespresso, including its boutiques, public collection points, NZ Post drop-off locations and courier collections from customers’ homes. The aim is to make returning used capsules more convenient, recognising that a single collection method will not work for everyone. For those who enjoy...
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UK secondary aluminium ingot fell on Wednesday as falling primary prices on the London Metal Exchange saw raw material prices dip, and the weak euro kept business into the continent uncompetitive. LM24 pressure diecasting ingot fell to £1,580-1,670 ($2,465-2,605) per tonne from £1,610-1,680 previously, while LM6/LM25 gravity diecasting ingot slipped to £1,880-1,960 per tonne from £1,900-1,970 per tonne. “We’re seeing some slowing down in some areas, some rescheduling, and prices have come down,” a producer said.
Enval, a leading provider of recycling and environmental technology solutions, announces that, following a series of trials carried out on Enval’s continuous process pilot plant, the Enval Process has proved financially and environmentally viable for treating post-consumer laminate waste. Enval is a modern environmental services company, focused on providing specialist solutions across industrial, commercial and municipal sectors to deliver value from waste. Enval’s patented technology offers a genuine recycling route for plastic/aluminium laminate packaging that has, to date, been unrecyclable.The award winning technology separates the material into its constituent components, producing clean aluminium ready for introduction into the secondary aluminium supply chain and hydrocarbons that...
The US aluminum industry bought an estimated 712 million lb of aluminum scrap during July 2011, according to the US Geological Survey. Figures are up 11.3% over a year ago.USGS estimates that recovery of aluminum and aluminum alloys totaled 567 million lb in July, up 6.8%. Through the first seven months of 2011, recovery of aluminum from scrap totaled an estimated 3.906 billion lb during 2011, up 8.6% over 2010.US exports of scrap, not included in the government's consumption statistics, totaled 2.533 billion lb, up 9.8% over last year. Aluminum imports of ingot, scrap and mill products into the US and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) totaled 304 million lb in July, 20.1% above the July 2010 total of 381 million lb. Year-to-date, imports totaled 2.499 billion lb, up 4.9% over the...
John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste, and Kevin Kramer, Director of Growth Initiatives for Alcoa, the world’s leading aluminum producer, were teamed today for a Commit Forum discussion on their organizations’ unique partnership and the tremendous promise of urban mining earlier today at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. In today’s discussion, “Strange Bedfellows,” Shegerian and Kramer explained to the packed room that consumer electronics is a fast-growing market for aluminum – used in everything from tablets to smart phones – and through a unique partnership, the two companies are enhancing sustainability in the consumer electronics space. Alcoa is able to source its infinitely...
European secondary aluminium prices fell on Friday as the market felt the impact of the economic turmoil, but prices were relatively stable when compared to the large swings seen in other markets. DIN226 pressure diecasting ingot dipped to €1,800-1,880 ($2,432-2,540) per tonne,down from €1,810-1,900 previously. Producers are concerned that recent sharp falls in London Metal Exchange aluminium prices could lead to further falls in the coming weeks.
UK aluminium scrap buyers are concerned that the forthcoming end-of-waste legislation will have an adverse effect on the domestic market by slashing supply levels and increasing prices. The end-of-waste legislation, which becomes effective throughout the EU on October 9, redefines certain types of scrap so that they no longer fall under the category of ‘waste’, and therefore will not be subject to the stiff regulations that govern the transport of hazardous or toxic materials that will still fall under that definition. It is none too soon for secondary aluminium producers, who have disputed the labelling of aluminium scrap as waste for years. “Scrap should never have been considered waste,” a secondary aluminium producer said. “It’s a valuable, strategic raw material. The whole argument...
Can manufacturers launch "Pass it on" campaign at Pack Expo 2011 highlighting the benefits of recycling food and beverage cans as the industry hits record levels of recycling rates in the United States. The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) plans to launch a new education and marketing campaign at Pack Expo 2011. Highlighting the benefits of recycling aluminum cans, the campaign encourages consumers to “Pass It On.” The campaign showcases the can industry's commitment to sustainability as well as the breadth and scope of recycling efforts. The launch of the sustainability initiative comes as the U.S. recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans hit 58 percent last year—the highest rate in more than a decade and double that of any other beverage container. Recycled material in aluminum...
Traders said sluggish industrial demand and reports of a weak global trend mainly led to the decline in prices. Following were today’s quotations in Rs a kg: aluminium wire scrap 112 and aluminium utensils scrap 109.
The UK secondary aluminium market is too small to absorb all the material produced there, giving manufacturers little protection when a falling euro saps their sterling revenues on sales into the continent. The euro is at 1.15 to the pound, from 1.108 at the start of the third quarter, according to the Bank of England. Its highest level this quarter was 1.161 on September 12. Producers looking to sell into the continent in euros but paying costs in sterling have been feeling the ill-effects of such currency moves. “Currencies will always have an impact – we’ve not seen big moves in the euro price [of ingot] but, compounded with the currency moves, the price has dropped significantly,” a UK-based producer said.
The concept of Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Re-manufacture is getting global awareness nowadays that many recycling organizations are introducing various measures to check and control the recycling wastes to a great extent. In the recent times, it has been found that scrap recycling industries are gaining more returns which have made many entrepreneurs to take up this business which is of course a social cause too. Among different kinds of scraps aluminium scraps are traded all over the globe to be reprocessed or recycled into finished metals. Statistics reveals the fact that, approximately 60% of our rubbish thrown away today could be recycled. So, it is necessary to take some steps in order to efficiently manage and recycle the wastes found everywhere around us. There are ample numbers of...
The UAE's position as a major hub for the global multi-billion dollar scrap metal recycling industry will be a key feature of the inaugural Green Middle East exhibition and conference, to be held from 17-19 October 2011 at Expo Centre Sharjah. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have established themselves as regional centres of activity for the sector, with industry sources estimating total volume for the UAE at five million tonnes per annum, closely followed by Saudi Arabia with three million tonnes. The UAE also refines and re-exports some 70,000 to 100,000 tonnes of non-ferrous metals every month, with an annual turnover of $4.5bn. With sustainability presenting a major challenge - and opportunity - for local and regional governments committed to fast-tracking infrastructure development...
UK secondary aluminium ingot prices widened on Wednesday in a market that is, like any other in the region, under the shadow of the economic turmoil within the eurozone. UK secondary aluminium ingot prices widened on Wednesday in a market that is, like any other in the region, under the shadow of the economic turmoil within the eurozone. LM24 pressure diecasting ingot slipped at the low end to stand at £1,610-1,680 ($2,528-2,637) per tonne, down from £1,620-1,680 previously, while LM6/LM25 gravity diecasting ingot edged up on the high end to £1,900-1,970 per tonne, from £1,900-1,960. One UK-based diecaster reported purchases of LM24 ingot at the top of the range.
The Alcoa Foundation has granted $20,000 to support the City of Knoxville, Tennessee's new Kerbside recycling program with the purchase of 5200 small, in-home recycling. According to the foundation, the bins are designed to help new recyclers get in the habit of sorting recyclables from garbage in the kitchen. As of this month, Alcoa says that more than 4000 of the bright blue bins have been distributed and over 17,800 Knoxville citizens have signed up to participate in the city's 'Do Your Part with the Cart' program. Program participation will be capped at 20,000, with kerbside collections are due to commence in early October.
Further improvements are needed in the collection and recycling of aluminium beverage cans despite recycling rates for the cans increasing across the EU,according to the European Aluminium Association(EAA). The overall recycling rate across the 27 EU countries,EFTA(Norway,Iceland,Switzerland,Liechtenstein),and Turkey increased from 63.1% to 64.3% in 2009 but despite the increase, chairman of the EAA packaging group Laurent Musy has called for better recycling practice and more focused collection schemes in order to meet the ambitious targets for can recycling.
Base metal turned weak and prices declined up to Rs 5 per kg on the local non-ferrous metal market today due to reduced industrial demand amid weakening global trend. Quotations in Rs per kg: aluminium ingots 112,aluminium wire scrap 112 and aluminium utensils scrap 109.
AUSTRALIA'S largest aluminium recycling facility, the Alcoa plant in Yennora, turned 50 last month. The facility recycles almost half a billion aluminium cans a year, going through around 55,000 tonnes of scrap aluminium. The recycling process uses 5 per cent of the energy needed to make new metal from scratch. In turn, it produces around 90,000 tonnes of rolled aluminium each year.
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) today announced its Top North American Scrap Aluminum Suppliers as well as the “Most Improved” Supplier for 2011.The leading are Commercial Metals Company [Dallas, TX], Jack Engle & Company [Los Angeles, CA],Omnisource & Omnisource SE Corporation. This marks the seventh consecutive year that Alcoa’s scrap aluminum purchasing group has compiled the Top list. The key criteria include safety, quality, volume, sustainability and environmental compliance and delivery performance. “This program has been a vital component of our plan to sustain and grow the flow of scrap aluminum into our locations,” said Gary S. Doughty, Alcoa’s North American Scrap Materials Manager. “Alcoa plans to continue with this proven strategy as we look to the future to meet our growing need for scrap...
Tower Aluminium Group has successfully raised N4.63 billion bond from the nation’s capital market under a N9 billion Medium Term Note(MTN) programme to finance its operations and enhance performance. The fund was raised after the completion of a book building exercise spearheaded by Dunn Loren Merrifield (DLM) Limited, which acted as financial adviser, issuing house and lead book runner to the transaction. The N9 billion MTN programme is undertaken by Tower Funding Plc- a captive finance vehicle for the Tower Aluminium Group. Tower Group explained that the proceeds from the transaction would be used for the refinancing of maturing bank debt obligations utilised by the Group to build the multi-million-dollar aluminium factory at Otta in Ogun state. The factory has been designed to convert...
