Europe’s aluminium scrap exports to the US have risen by 243 per cent, highlighting a growing concern over the continent’s access to strategic raw materials as it pursues recycling, decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness. Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN, raised the issue, linking scrap outflows to the broader challenges facing European industry, energy security and strategic autonomy. Aluminium scrap outflows raise industrial concerns Mytilineos referred to the contrasting US tariff treatment of aluminium products, i.e., a 50 per cent tariff on primary aluminium, compared with zero tariff on scrap . With European aluminium scrap exports to the US increasing by 243 per cent, he questioned whether Europe could strengthen its industrial base while allowing valuable...
The US aluminium used beverage can (UBC) scrap price benchmark tracked by Argus recorded a mixed performance over the third quarter of 2026, declining in July before rising in August and September. The monthly average increased from USD 2,322.89 per tonne in July to USD 2,491.22 per tonne in August and USD 2,602.51 per tonne in September, indicating a sustained recovery in the benchmark over the three months. July: Prices decline despite a high opening The benchmark began July at USD 2,464.98 per tonne on July 1, before falling sharply to USD 2,270.76 per tonne on July 3. The price remained at that level on July 2 and July 6, the lowest recorded price for the month. It subsequently recovered gradually, reaching USD 2,319.86 per tonne on July 10 and USD 2,328.63 per tonne on July 22....
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Recycling non-ferrous metals like aluminium, lead, and plastics is becoming more important because it reduces the need for raw materials, improves recovery, and supports circular production. Aluminium recycling is especially valuable because it uses much less energy than primary aluminium production and helps cut emissions while supplying material to construction, transport, packaging, and engineering. Modern recycling plants use mechanical separation, shredding, decoating, melting and casting technologies to improve metal recovery and reduce waste. Italian engineering company GME Technology (Gianni Mori Engineering) designs recycling plants for aluminium scrap, used lead-acid batteries and plastic recovery, with a major focus on aluminium processing equipment. Its systems are used to...
As aluminium producers place greater emphasis on recycled metal, scrap has become an increasingly important part of the wider aluminium value chain. Against this backdrop, Germany entered 2026 with a shift in its export picture, as aluminium scrap shipments moved higher after declining on an annual basis in 2025. Germany exported 311,491 tonnes of aluminium scrap to the global market in Q1 2026, up marginally by 0.5 per cent from 310,057 tonnes in Q1 2025. The increase was more pronounced on a quarterly basis, with exports rising 8.8 per cent from 286,285 tonnes in Q4 2025. The change in direction came at an interesting time for Germany’s aluminium industry. Recycled aluminium production weakened, semi-finished output declined and demand from automotive, construction and mechanical...
The Aluminum Association has urged US policymakers to adopt an "all-of-the-above" strategy to strengthen the country's aluminium supply chain, arguing that expanding both primary and secondary aluminium production is essential to meeting rising demand across transportation, packaging, defence, energy and advanced manufacturing. According to the association, discussions often present primary and secondary aluminium as competing options, whereas both are complementary and necessary for a resilient domestic industry. Charles Johnson, President and CEO of the Aluminum Association, said growing production of both materials will be critical if the United States aims to strengthen its manufacturing base. The association noted that aluminium is one of the few materials designated as a critical...
The Eldorado Civic Association is encouraging residents, holidaymakers and picnic-goers to recycle aluminium cans by depositing them at the organisation's collection site at 5939 California Avenue. According to commodities coordinator Ed Shrift, the association accepts aluminium cans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, making recycling accessible throughout the year. Shrift said the initiative has grown steadily since it was launched more than 10 years ago, with the volume of aluminium cans collected nearly doubling each year. Revenue generated through the recycling programme has helped support local community projects, including baseball teams such as the Miracle League and the Teener League at Seitz Field. Shrift thanked residents for their continued participation in the initiative and...
Ashok Leyland has partnered with Rosmerta Recycling to provide organised scrappage services for old commercial vehicles across India. Through its dealer network, customers can reach authorised scrappage centres to scrap vehicles and complete deregistration and other required paperwork. Rosmerta Recycling operates Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) across the country. The facilities dismantle end-of-life vehicles in accordance with regulatory requirements while recovering recyclable materials. The partnership comes as the government promotes the replacement of older, more polluting vehicles through its voluntary vehicle modernisation programme. It also follows the launch of the Naya Safar Scheme, which aims to reduce transport-related emissions in the Delhi-NCR region. Attend...
Xiaomi has introduced what it describes as China's first mass-produced structural aluminium alloy made entirely from recycled aluminium for electric vehicles (EVs), marking another step towards lower-carbon manufacturing. The new material, called Titan Alloy 2.0 , has entered series production and is being used in the integrated die-cast rear floor assemblies of the company's SU7 and YU7 models. Xiaomi unveils recycled aluminium-made Titan Alloy 2.0 According to Xiaomi, the alloy is manufactured entirely from recycled aluminium while meeting the strength requirements for critical vehicle safety structures. Independent verification by Sweden's IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute has certified the material with a carbon footprint of 1.1 kg CO₂e per kilogramme . This indicates a 93...
Demand from the automotive, electric vehicle (EV), construction and packaging sectors are likely to increase which would support long-term growth in aluminium recycling, says CMR Green Tech Chairman and Managing Director Mohan Agarwal. Mohan Agarwal said that aluminium demand is coming from both conventional vehicles and EVs. EVs use aluminium three times more than conventional vehicles because of the strength-to-weight ratio of the metal. Recycled aluminium was the same quality product as primary aluminium and could be recycled over and over again without losing performance, he said. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry forecast to 2032 The recycling business will grow at a faster rate than the...
India's aluminium industry is debating import duties and quality regulations for aluminium scrap. The Aluminium Association of India (AAI), which represents primary aluminium producers, has called for stricter controls on aluminium scrap imports and stronger quality regulations. The association has raised concerns that increasing imports of what it describes as substandard scrap could threaten investments worth more than INR 3 trillion (USD 31.5 billion). India currently levies a 7.5 per cent Basic Customs Duty on primary aluminium and 2.5 per cent on aluminium scrap. To learn about the autonomous furnace tending in aluminium cast houses from RIA Cast House Engineering, join the webinar Autonomous furnace tending in aluminium cast houses: Improving safety, productivity and yield The issue...
TOMRA Recycling has successfully applied its range of its AUTOSORT™ PULSE sorting system used in aluminium alloy separation, extending the Dynamic LIBS-based technology to other metals as well like stainless steel, heavy metals, magnesium and incinerator bottom ash (IBA) streams. Launched in 2023 for industrial-scale aluminium alloy separation, AUTOSORT™ PULSE uses Dynamic LIBS, or Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, to identify materials based on their elemental composition. The technology can separate aluminium into different alloy classes, including the 5xxx and 6xxx series. The expanded application range allows recycling operators to deploy the same sorting system across multiple material streams without investing in separate hardware for each application. Attend the webinar Hedging...
Every tonne of aluminium produced creates more than just the finished metal. Across primary production and recycling, the processes generate aluminium dross-an oxide-rich material that is increasingly attracting attention across the industry. Global aluminium dross generation is projected to rise from 5.86 million tonnes in 2025 to 6.04 million tonnes in 2026, marking a 3.1 per cent increase, with volumes expected to grow by a further 13.4 per cent by 2030 and 5.7 per cent by 2032. The rise is being driven by expanding aluminium production and, increasingly, the rapid growth of secondary aluminium recycling. This growing waste stream includes white dross, mainly generated during primary aluminium production and clean metal melting, and black dross, which typically arises from secondary...
The ToZero (Towards Zero Waste in Aluminum BiW Manufacturing) project has demonstrated that recycled automotive aluminium scrap can be transformed into powder suitable for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), supporting efforts to increase the use of recycled materials in additive manufacturing. Supported under Italy's Accordi per l'Innovazione programme, the project involved Valland, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Bari and the Fontana Group, with Valland leading the additive manufacturing phase. The company developed LPBF processing parameters for recycled AA5083 aluminium powder and used the material to manufacture a structural automotive connection node known as the "Voletto". According to the project team, the recycled alloy was printed without hot cracking, while the finished...
The UK is one of the largest consumer hubs in the European continent, collecting several thousand tonnes of aluminium scrap each month. In 2025, the United Kingdom’s total aluminium scrap exports reached 623,584 tonnes, according to Customs data. These volumes have been on the rise since the start of this decade as collection grows and the domestic recycling capacity remains largely stagnant. Domestic manufacturing trade agency Make UK has advocated the country needs a 25 per cent annual growth rate in recycling capacity to meet its Modern Industrial Strategy demands. It acknowledges that around 84 per cent of the UK’s aluminium scrap is still being exported today. In January-April 2026, the UK’s aluminium scrap exports climbed 9 per cent to 217,611 tonnes from 200,374 tonnes in the year...
The European Union is preparing to introduce a 15 per cent levy on aluminium scrap exports in a move aimed at keeping more recyclable metal within the bloc as competition for critical raw materials intensifies. According to industry sources, the proposal is expected to be presented on September 9 and would mark the first time Brussels has imposed charges on goods leaving the EU. The proposal comes as European aluminium producers warn that increasing overseas demand is drawing valuable scrap away from the region. They argue that smelters in markets such as Asia and the United States, benefiting from stronger margins, are able to outbid European buyers, remelt the scrap into primary products and ship the aluminium back into the EU. The issue has become more pronounced in recent months after...
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium prices were widely expected to remain in the range of USD 3,200 to USD 3,300 per tonne. However, Managing Director and Head of Research of InCred Research Services, Satish Kumar, has taken a more cautious stance. He believes aluminium could retreat to USD 2,400–2,700 per tonne, driven by a steady increase in aluminium scrap supply. According to Kumar, the recent rally has been mainly driven by the tight supply crunch in the primary aluminium market. Now, the growing availability of aluminium scrap is likely to offset supply concerns over the upcoming months. He elaborated that since “Scrap makes [up] around 32 to 33 per cent of the overall aluminium supply,” it has “a very important part” in the supply chain movement. As the prices of aluminium...
The European Union has launched CLEANMAT (Smart Clean Aluminium Material Processing), a Horizon Europe-funded project aimed at reducing emissions and flux consumption in aluminium recycling by integrating digital sorting, intelligent pre-treatment and advanced melt refining technologies. With funding of EUR 7.33 million, the project seeks to establish an end-to-end, low-emission pathway for processing difficult aluminium scrap streams into high-performance aluminium alloys. Book your seat for the free-to-attend webinar, " Autonomous furnace tending in aluminium cast houses: Improving safety, productivity and yield ". Limited slots available While aluminium recycling consumes only a fraction of the energy required for primary production, conventional recycling continues to depend on...
Not too long ago, aluminium scrap was viewed as the end of the metal's lifecycle, a by-product waiting to be melted down and reused. Today, it is becoming the starting point of a new industrial race. Over the past fortnight, seemingly unrelated developments across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and even the sporting world have converged to tell a single story. The aluminium industry is no longer merely trying to produce more metal; it is trying to secure more scrap. Circularity has moved beyond sustainability rhetoric and is fast becoming a question of competitiveness, supply security and long-term survival. The transformation begins with a simple economic reality. Producing secondary aluminium consumes only a fraction of the energy required for primary production while delivering...
The global aluminium industry is entering a decade of unprecedented demand, and so is the European aluminium sector. Global aluminium demand is set to surge, driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, construction and sustainable packaging. A similar situation is noted in Europe, as demand is forecast to jump to 52 million tonnes by 2030. For Europe, however, meeting this demand is challenging. As primary aluminium production declines rapidly amid high energy costs, recycling is gaining momentum, aiming to strengthen supply security, lower energy consumption, and maintain a competitive edge. But will recycling alone be enough? The answer can be found in the white paper published by Novelis, a leading provider of sustainable aluminium solutions and the world's largest aluminium...
As reported by the industrial association European Aluminium and other related sources, the European Union’s implementation of measures to curb aluminium scrap export have been postponed till September, 2026. The update has emerged in the midst of the calls made by the European aluminium industry for pushing recycling efforts to promote circularity and decarbonisation. The decision to limit aluminium scrap export was announced in November, 2025, scheduled to come into effect by spring 2026, as notified by Maros Sefcovic, European Trade Commissioner. While industry sources believe that the measure was prompted by the difficulties in aligning competing priorities, the European Commission has not commented on the matter. Delve deeper into the recycled aluminium and secondary aluminium market...
