Hydro steps up aluminium recycling

Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro is currently stepping up its activities in aluminium recycling, an area in which the company is announcing that it is evaluating further investments. Hydro has also announced that Roland Scharf-Bergmann is now joining the company to lead and support these activities. Scharf-Bergmann (47) will head the Recycling unit in Hydro's Metal Markets business area. Scharf-Bergmann is a senior figure in the European recycling industry. He was managing director of VAW-IMCO Guss und Recycling from 2000 to 2008. From 2002 he also headed IMCO Recycling (UK) and from 2006 in addition became president of the recycling business unit in Aleris Europe. Hydro has installed 150,000 tonnes of new recycling capacity in Germany over the past three years, with the last step to be commissioned in November in Hydro’s joint venture Alunorf in Neuss, and is evaluating further investments. Hydro is already one of the world’s largest remelters of aluminium, with a network of nearly 30 facilities in all key aluminium markets world wide. Hydro’s activities involve remelting of process scrap from customers and other sources as well as from the company's own operations. In 2008 Hydro remelted 1.5 million tonnes of aluminium, including coated and contaminated metal.