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 year 2020 saw significant expansions in the recycling plant. Many leading companies announced huge investments in increasing the aluminium recycling capacity. Industry data showed improved aluminium packaging recycling rates globally. According to the International Aluminium Institute, recycling of one aluminium can saves enough energy to recharge up to 20 mobile phones, while global aluminium recycling saves enough energy every year to power the whole of France. Europe has the highest Recycling Efficiency Rate (RER) in the world, recovering 81% of aluminium scrap available in the region. Aluminium packaging recycling rates surpassed its 2020 targets by more than 5%, according to data released by the Environment Agency. The Agency reported 42,265 tonnes of aluminium packaging...
According to the US Geological Survey data, the United States aluminium scrap imports from Mexico stood at 11,700 tonnes in September 2020. In the previous month, the United States imported 10,800 tonnes of aluminium scrap from Mexico, meaning the imports in September edged 8.33 per cent higher month-on-month. The imports in August stood lower by 2.7 per cent from 11,100 tonnes in July 2020. The United States aluminium scrap imports from Mexico in Q3 2020 totalled 33,600 tonnes, down by 17.24 per cent from 40,600 tonnes in Q2 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, the United States aluminium scrap imports from Mexico in September 2020 stood 13.59 per cent higher than 10,300 tonnes. In the first nine months, aluminium scrap imports by the US from Mexico amounted to 107,000 tonnes, 6.96 per...
The United States aluminium scrap exports to Indonesia stood at 8,780 tonnes in September 2020, recording a downfall of 34.96 per cent month-on-month, according to the US Geological Survey. In August 2020, the United States exported 13,500 tonnes, which stood up by 33.66 per cent from 10,100 tonnes in July. This brings the total exports in three months of the third quarter of 2020 to 32,380 tonnes, 62.63 per cent higher than 19,910 tonnes in Q2 2020. On a year-on-year calculation, the United States aluminium scrap exports to Indonesia in September 2020 stood 78.09 per cent higher than 4,930 tonnes. In the first 9 months of the year, the United States exported 75,900 tonnes of aluminium scrap to Indonesia, slightly up from 74,500 tonnes during the same period last year. The United States’...
One of India’s fastest-growing manufacturing start-ups, Runaya, made public on 21 st December that it has been conferred with the Global WasteMet Award by the Energy and Environment Foundation. The company own the award under the prestigious ‘Platinum’ category for its success in setting up an integrated environmental project to process aluminium dross and convert it to value-added products. Runaya uses ZERO WASTE dross processing technology patented by Bahraini company, TAHA International Corporation. Runaya won the award as a tribute to its contribution in bringing about a quantum leap in processing aluminium dross with a positive impact on the environment and helping to improve resource management. The Runaya aluminium dross recycling project has reached its final stage of operation in...
The recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland increased by more than 2 per cent from 74.5 per cent in 2017 to 76.1 per cent in 2018, showed the latest data from European Aluminium and Metal Packaging Europe. The total amount of aluminium recycled in the said year rose by 37,000 tonnes to an impressive 457,000, representing a total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings of 3.7 million tonnes of CO2. This is equivalent to the amount of GHG emissions of a mid-size European town with 400,000 inhabitants. Both can manufacturers and their aluminium suppliers are happy with the recycling rate and believe that this can increase further in the future with more optimisation of separate packaging collection systems in Europe and by...
Rio Tinto, the industry leader in responsible aluminium production, with operations in Canada which runs on 100% renewable hydropower, is investing US $8.4 million to expand the recycling capacity of its aluminium operations in Saguenay- Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, to offer rolled product customers in North America a new, sustainable solution combining low-carbon and recycled aluminium. A new remelt furnace will be added at the Laterrière Plant’s casting centre to recycle aluminium cuttings from Rio Tinto’s operations and rolling mill customers in manufacturing sectors, producing rolling ingots for the automotive and packaging industries. The new aluminium recycling system is expected to be operational by the end of 2021, with an initial production capacity of 22,000 tonnes of remelted...
The United States aluminium scrap exports to the Republic of Korea increased marginally in September 2020 by 400 tonnes month-on-month to stand at 24,200 tonnes, found the US Geological data. In August, the United States aluminium scrap exports to Korea were at 23,800 tonnes dwindling by 800 tonnes from 24,600 tonnes in July. This shows the US aluminium scrap exports to the Republic of Korea maintained a stable trend through the three months of Q3 2020. The total aluminium scrap exports from the US to Korea in the third quarter of 2020 came in at 72,600 tonnes, up by 4,000 tonnes from 68,000 tonnes in Q2 2020. In the first nine months of 2020, the United States exported 214,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap to the Republic of Korea as against 203,000 tonnes during the same period last year....
ALUMIL, one of the largest industries in the extrusion of aluminium in Greece, considers that the environmental protection is not just a side project on the annual plan, but it is at the core of organisation’s strategy for the next decade. For more than 30 years, the aluminium company has developed innovative products that stand out in the global market. The superior quality architectural aluminium systems are the result of technological expertise; however, most of it is manufactured in a cyclical production model, which is in line with the principles of the company’s sustainable business plan. The primary intention of Alumil is to minimize carbon footprint. Consequently, they have invested €2.8 million in a new aluminium scrap separation unit which was recently installed in their...
Iceland is considered as a stable democracy with an active consumer economy. The pillars of the Icelandic economy are aluminium smelting, fishing, and tourism and the major material exports are aluminium products and fish products, and main service exports are tourism-related services. The Nordic island nation’s export of aluminium scrap during 2018-19 was accounted at 11,006 tonnes and the revenue earnings stood at $7.85 million. The export for 2020 is marked at 5910 tonnes and the earnings to stand at $3.93 million. However, when the export volume and earnings of 2020 get added with the existing two years, it denotes 16,916 tonnes and $11.78 million respectively. Iceland’s export of aluminium scrap in 2018 was recorded at 5273 tonnes and the earnings remained at $3.60 million, whereas...
The UK-based aluminium packaging recycling company Alupro has reportedly launched a digital campaign for the upcoming Christmas holiday season aiming at changing human behaviour and increasing awareness towards aluminium packaging recycling. The campaign named ‘The Santa Story’ is an animated campaign that narrates a story showcasing the different forms of aluminium packaging commonly found at home during Christmas and the various ways to prepare them for kerbside recycling. It exhibits how users can reutilise the aluminium cans, foil trays, and chocolate wrappers for making toys for future pressies. Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Alupro, commented: “During the festive season, a huge volume of used aluminium packaging is generated within the home. From mince pie cases and used...
The United States aluminium scrap exports to Malaysia extended decline in the third month (September) of Q3 2020 to 37,600 tonnes, found the US Geological Survey data. Month-on-month, the export declined 3,700 tonnes or 8.96 per cent from 41,300 tonnes. In August, the United States aluminium scrap exports to Malaysia fell 7,600 tonnes or 15.54 per cent from 48,900 tonnes in July. On a year-on-year basis, the US aluminium scrap exports to Malaysia in September stood higher by 18.77 per cent from 30,900 tonnes. In the entire third quarter of 2020, the United States exported 127,800 tonnes of aluminium scrap to Malaysia versus 91,700 tonnes in Q2. This means the export in Q3 increased by 28.25 per cent quarter-on-quarter. In nine months of 2020, the United States aluminium scrap exports to...
The economy of Costa Rica is expected to shrink 5% by end of this year, as the country is hit hard by COVID-19 outbreak and the central bank stated it as the steepest decline since 1982 for the Central American nation. Costa Rica’s export of aluminium scrap during 2018-19 has been recorded at 18,178 tonnes and the earnings generated about the import remained at $6.76 million. The export of 2020 will be reaching at 15,507 tonnes and earnings to stand at $7.87 million. However, when the export volume and earnings of 2020 get assorted with the existing two years, it denotes 33,685 tonnes and $14.63 million respectively. The Central American nation’s export of aluminium scrap in 2018 stood at 6963 tonnes and the earnings accounted for remained at $2.64 million only, whereas, in 2019 the...
The flag carrier airline of Iceland, Icelandair has for the first time started the work of dismantling a Boeing 757, locally in Iceland. It is TF-FIJ, Boeing 757-200 that will slowly but surely be dismantled. The work is part of reducing the fleet by older 757 and it will be carried out by the company's mechanics in a hangar at the airport at Keflavik. This aircraft was on a verge of large maintenance that was supposed to take place in the first quarter of next 2021, but the economy suggested that a lot of money was saved on rather chopping it up and getting rid of it, rather than taking this main service. The first aircraft that the company itself dismantles is almost 27 years in service, now parts of the aircraft will be delivered to the Icelandic Aviation Museum in Akureyri, while the...
At Shanghai Metals Market’s 2020 Nonferrous Metals Industry Chain Annual Conference in Suzhou, Leo Yi, senior analyst at SMM, explained the challenges that new solid waste law posed to China’s aluminium scrap supply and operations at secondary aluminium producers. Yi said the new solid waste law would hike the processing costs of aluminium ash due to insufficiency of qualified processing capacity and greater difficulties in trans-provincial transport of hazardous waste. “But there are several measures for producers to take to tackle the problem, such as building their own aluminium ash treatment capacity, waiting for the commissioning of new technologies and new processing capacities or reducing production to lower aluminium ash output,” Yi suggested. Leo Yi also shared insights on...
Naivedya Agarwal, son of Navin Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Limited, India’s leading producer of aluminium, founded Runaya in 2017 to seize the market of aluminium dross, which now pulls in around INR 150 crore turnovers. The second most used metal in the world is aluminium, which has an annual consumption of around 88 million tonnes including scrap and it is considered as a vital sector of the Indian economy that boasts of vast mineral potential. The domestic aluminium exports registered growth by 18.2% from 1.724 million tonnes in 2017-18 to 2.038 million tonnes in 2018-19. As India is envisaged to pursue to be among the major centre of primary production growth, there is a need to provide sustainable solutions for the dross generated as the by-product in the processing of aluminium....
India’s imports of aluminium scrap from the US came in at 35,500 tonnes in September 2020, with a month-on-month increase of 31%. India had imported 27,000 tonnes in August 2020. On a yearly, basis, imports dropped by 67% from 21,000 tonnes in September 2019, as updated by the US Census Bureau. In the first nine months of 2020, India imported 207,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap, from 196,000 tonnes imported in the first nine months of 2019. That was up by 6% or 11,000 year-on-year. India’s imports of total aluminium (semi-finished products, crude metals and alloy and scrap) from the US stood at 35,600 tonnes in September 2020. Imports climbed by 66% from 21,400 tonnes in September 2019 and 30% from 27,300 tonnes in August 2020. In the first nine months of 2020, total imports came in at...
On Tuesday, December 1, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) announced that it hired Cheryl Coleman as vice president of sustainability. Coleman will be responsible to look after the development and execution of an integrated strategy addressing the priorities of the segments of the recycling industry. She will also supervise the strategic planning and execution of ISRI’s new recyclability protocol and other sustainable development initiatives on behalf of ISRI and its members. Cheryl Coleman comes with decades of experience in materials and sustainability management. She served the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the Director of the Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division. While at EPA, she led efforts to improve the United States recycling system...
Sipful Drinks has collaborated with Every Can Counts to encourage people to recycle empty drink cans. The company will carry the Every Can Counts logo on its canned products. Sipful founder Darius Darwell comments: “Reducing waste and increasing recycling are two very clear objectives for us. Sustainability will be built into our DNA as a business, with the aim of creating a consumer brand committed to always trying to be better in the hope that Sipful Drinks will become a positive change for a more sustainable future. As I grew up on an organic and biodynamic farm, sustainability and the environment were always “hot topic” in my household, well before they were used widely as marketing buzzwords. We’re dead proud to be a canned product – we are delighted to be working with Every Can...
