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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Metalcorp Group S.A., a global service provider for the procurement, production, mining and marketing of metals and minerals, reported growth in its revenue and profit in the first quarter of 2021 despite the challenges of COVID-19. The company generated revenue of EUR 164.1 million in Q1 2021, an increase of 27.4% from Q1 2020. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 45.2% year-on-year to EUR 11.2 million. “After successfully operating through the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020 Metalcorp Group achieved, despite the ongoing constraints of the pandemic, an increase of volume in all its business segments with the aluminium plants operating at three-shift-capacity.” The company expects EBITDA to increase significantly for the full year 2021. Metalcorp Group has two production facilities in Germany....
Japan produced 697,999 tonnes of secondary aluminium and alloy ingots in the April 2020-March 2021 fiscal year, according to data released by the Japan Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association. The output declined 12% year-on-year due to lower demand for casting and die-casting products from the car industry. Secondary aluminium and alloy ingots shipments reduced by 12% in 2020-21 fiscal. The shipments were 706,965 tonnes as from die-casting producers demand slipped by 9% to 396,142 tonnes. The demand from casting manufacturers stood at 178,787 tonnes, a drop of 14%. In March, production and shipments climbed by 8% and 11% due to recovery in demand for casting and die-casting products from auto producers. The output and shipments stood at 72,317 tonnes and 74,746 tonnes. According to customs...
The developer of the energy-saving aerofoil shelf strips, Aerofoil Energy, has been awarded Queen’s Award for Innovation in Enterprise, as it gets shelf-edge technology installed on open-fronted multi-deck supermarket fridges. The UK supermarkets industry comprising Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Scotmid Co-op, Waitrose, WH Smith, and M&S has widely secured the Aerofoil product. It is evaluated since 2016, Aerofoil has conserved the sector around £100m in energy costs and already evaded some 150 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions. Paul McAndrew, CEO, Aerofoil Energy said: “We are honoured to have been recognized by Her Majesty with this award for our energy-saving technology and commercial success. Open-fronted supermarket fridges are a great way to display food and make it easy for customers to...
According to the data published by Environment Agency (EA) earlier this month, reveals that aluminium beverage can recycle recorded all-time highest ever rate in 2020 – an impressive 82%. This represents a Y-o-Y rise of 6% in a market that saw significant growth. As the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a significant growth in at-home consumption, which resulted in more aluminium packaging was collected and recycled than any year on record. PRNs were issued for a total of 151,515 tonnes, an increase of 31% compared to 2019 figures (115,808 tonnes). Breaking down these figures, 106,047 tonnes of separately collected aluminium packaging was recorded in 2020 (compared to 89,543 in 2019), while the volume recovered from incinerator bottom ash (IBA) increased from 26,265 (2019) to 45,468 (2020)....
Brazil reported aluminium can recycling index of 97.4% in 2020 despite the difficulties faced by the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The index remained stable in relation to 2019, keeping Brazil among the world leaders in can recycling. The Associations reported that 391,500 tonnes or approximately 31 billion units were recycled in 2020. The recycling index was presented by ABAL (Brazilian Aluminum Association) and Abralatas (Brazilian Association of Aluminum Can Manufacturers) to the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). “The data show how solid the can recycling structure in Brazil is. And how our investments in our own collection and recycling centers generate significant results. The sector maintained its operations within safe standards, contributing to the preservation of the...
According to a recent report, a team of scientists in India has developed a new cost-effective and efficient aluminium scrap recycling technology that reduces material losses in the process. This new technology can be used by tiny & cottage industries, small-scale industries, MSME aluminium foundries, and also recycling industries. The new technology is developed by Dr C. Bhagyanathan and Dr P. Karuppuswamy, Associate Professor and Professor from Sri Ramkarishna Engineering College, Coimbatore, along with Dr M. Ravi, Sr. Principal Scientist from CSIR-NIIST Trivandrum, inspired by the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of the Department of Science & Technology (DST). The technology combines value added/ non-value added...
India’s imports of aluminium scrap from the US stood at 27,200 tonnes in February 2021, with a year-on-year decrease of 17.33%. India had imported 32,900 tonnes in February 2020. On a monthly basis, imports increased by 12.86% from 24,100 tonnes in January 2021, as updated by the US Census Bureau. In the first two months of 2021, India imported 51,300 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the US, from 61,800 tonnes imported in the first two months of 2020. That marked a decline of 17% year-on-year. India’s imports of total aluminium (semi-finished products, crude metals and alloy and scrap) from the US came in at 27,300 tonnes in February 2021. That indicated a slip of 17.27% from 33,000 tonnes in February 2020 but growth of 12.81% 24,200 tonnes in January 2021. Total imports of aluminium scrap...
China’s aluminium scrap imports during January-February 2021 totalled 107,200 tonnes, recording a year-on-year decrease of 12.3 per cent, found the China customs data. In January, China imported 69,100 tonnes of aluminium scrap, which stood 16.21 per cent down month-on-month but up by 9.5 per cent on the year. In February, China’s aluminium scrap imports came in at 38,100 tonnes – 44.9 per cent less than in January 2021. Even on a year-on-year calculation, the import in February stood down by about 35.5 per cent. According to a market survey, the rumours of Sanshan Port in Guangdong were slightly eased in March, while inspections at other ports are still tight. SMM forecasts China’s aluminium scrap imports to increase in March to around 70,000 tonnes, contributed mainly by the import from...
Mexico’s aluminium scrap exports to the US in January 2021 stood at 14,500 tonnes, reflecting a month-on-month increase of 2,700 tonnes or 22.88 per cent, according to the US Geological Survey data. In December 2020, Mexico exported 11,800 tonnes of aluminium scrap to the United States compared to 10,600 tonnes in November 2020. This represents a monthly growth of 1,200 tonnes or 11.32 per cent in Mexico’s aluminium scrap exports to the US in December 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, Mexico’s scrap exports to the US in January this year saw a jump of 12,070 tonnes from 2,430 tonnes. Mexico’s total aluminium exports (including aluminium plates, sheets and bars) to the US in January 2021 amounted to 18,800 tonnes, up by 1,800 tonnes or 10.59 per cent from 17,000 tonnes in December 2020....
The Germany-based recycling equipment and systems manufacturer, STEINERT stated: “Aluminium is increasingly replacing conventional materials, such as steel and can be 100% recycled; the metal has a very promising future.” “What's more, using secondary aluminium, also known as green aluminium, cuts energy use in production by up to 90% compared with virgin material.” Aluminium in scrap form is recovered from any situation and is recycled to produce new products. Now, the aluminium producers require their secondary raw materials to display consistently with high levels of purity and here comes STEINERT's new EVO 5.0 generation of machines that are developed to do this job. Steinert said: “Dry density sorting using x-ray transmission is a proven method used by hundreds of metal recycling...
The United States aluminium scrap exports to South Korea stood at 22,900 tonnes in January 2021, reflecting a month-on-month increase of 4,000 tonnes or 21.16 per cent. In December 2020, the US scrap exports to South Korea were 18,900 tonnes, down by 6,300 tonnes or 25 per cent from 25,200 tonnes in November 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, aluminium scrap exports from the US to South Korea in January stood almost flat compared to 22,300 tonnes. The United States total aluminium scrap exports in January 2021 came in at 153,000 tonnes, up by 7,000 tonnes or 4.79 per cent from 146,000 tonnes. South Korea’s total aluminium imports (including aluminium crude metal and alloys and aluminium plates, sheets and bars) amounted to 24,400 tonnes in January 2021, almost flat compared to 24,700...
TOMRA has won the tender to supply the reverse vending technology for the upcoming bottle and can recycling program. SIA Depozīta Iepakojuma Operators, the future central system administrator for the deposit return system (DRS) in Latvia, has made the announcement. The deposit return system will launch on February 1st, 2022, with a deposit value of €0.10. DRS will accept cans as well as plastic and glass bottles in various sizes (covering beverage types such as non-alcoholic beverages, beer and cider). “We are very pleased that, thanks to fierce competition, we can provide the best available packaging return technology solution to the Latvian deposit system and our society, which has successfully proven itself in such deposit system countries as Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Norway,...
Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked mountainous, lower-middle-income country with an economy dominated by minerals extraction, agriculture, and reliance on remittances from citizens working abroad. Referred to as the Switzerland of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has documented 22,103 tonnes of aluminium scrap exportation during 2018-19 and the revenue earned through the export remained at $29.51 million. The export for 2020 was recorded at 5113 tonnes and the earnings stood at $6.13 million. However, when the export volume and earnings of 2020 get counted with the existing two years, it demonstrates 27,216 tonnes and $35.64 million respectively. Kyrgyzstan’s export of aluminium scrap in 2018 was registered at 12,471 tonnes and the revenue earnings accounted for $17.77 million, whereas, in 2019 the export...
According to the US Geological Survey, the United States’ aluminium scrap exports to Hong Kong jumped by 9,100 tonnes or 81.25 per cent in January 2021 to stand at 20,300 tonnes. In December 2020, the exports stood at 11,200 tonnes, which also surged month-on-month by 4,930 tonnes or 78.63 per cent from 6,270 tonnes in November 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, the United States’ aluminium scrap exports to Hong Kong soared by 253.66 per cent from 5,740 tonnes. The total aluminium scrap exports from the United States to Hong Kong had amounted to 69,000 tonnes in 2020. The United States’ total aluminium scrap exports in January 2021 came in at 153,000 tonnes, down by 1.92 per cent from 156,000 tonnes in December 2020 but up by 4.79 per cent from 146,000 tonnes during the same period last...
Every Can Counts has collaborated with Irish start-up The Naked Collective to encourage residents to recycle drink cans. The Naked Collective will provide funding to the Every Can Counts programme to aware people that drink cans are endlessly recyclable. The Naked Collective’s partnership with Every Can Counts Ireland will help to achieve its goal of ensuring that 100% of its cans are recycled. Niall Phelan, Co-Founder of The Naked Collective said: “From the ingredients we use, to our processes and packaging, our aim as a brand is to make the world a healthier, better place. “We’re a purpose-led company and our decision to partner with Every Can Counts shows exactly that. The partnership is us doing our bit to increase recycling rates in Ireland.” The Naked Collective, founded in 2019,...
AMAG has signed a supply contract with Audi Hungaria to close the loop on aluminium recycling. The agreement will see production waste generated at the Audi plant in Györ will be delivered to AMAG in Ranshofen in the form of sorted aluminium sheet scrap. AMAG will then recycle into new aluminium sheet leading to a closed material cycle. Closed material cycle saves energy and conserves valuable resources. “Recycling is one of AMAG’s core competencies. The closed-loop concept is an effective and sustainable recycling concept that goes beyond our corporate boundaries. Many years of experience, our know-how and the use of state-of-the-art recycling technology allow us to provide our customers with the best possible support in terms of CO2-optimized products and processes”, said AMAG CEO...
The United States aluminium scrap exports started the year in January 2021 with a month-on-month decline of 3,000 tonnes or 1.92 per cent. From 156,000 tonnes in December 2020, the exports decreased to 153,000 tonnes in January 2021. But nevertheless, on a year-on-year basis, the US aluminium scrap exports in January this year reflected a hike of 7,000 tonnes or 4.79 per cent from 146,000 tonnes. To India, the second-largest aluminium scrap export destination for US after Malaysia, the United States exported 24,100 tonnes in January 2021, down by 6,500 tonnes or 21.24 per cent from 30,600 tonnes in December 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, the US aluminium scrap exports to India in January 2021 also stood down by 4,800 tonnes or 16.61 per cent from 28,900 tonnes, despite a hike in the...
On 24 th March 2021, European Aluminium and Metal Packaging Europe floated a joint roadmap towards achieving 100% recycling of aluminium beverage can by 2030. The Roadmap reveals the position among aluminium producers of can-sheet, manufacturers of aluminium beverage cans and recyclers of used aluminium beverage cans that the full potential of the aluminium beverage can as a front-runner in a truly circular economy can be achieved within the next ten years. During a webinar session on the morning of 24 th March 2021, the roadmap was launched. It organised jointly by the two associations and attended by over 200 stakeholders, a collaboration which will be vital to achieving this ambitious, but realistic, aim. Oliver Graham, Chairman of the Beverage Can Commission at Metal Packaging Europe,...
