Recycled aluminium accounts for 51% of the aluminium produced in Europe, says EU

    According to the organisation, recycled aluminium currently accounts for 51% of all aluminium produced in Europe. The organisation outlined it as one of three highlights in a mid-term progress report on the plan, which was issued in 2015 and set targets to be met by 2025.

    “At European Aluminium, we understand sustainable aluminum as aluminum that is produced with rigorous processes that respect high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards considering all steps of the aluminum value chain, from sourcing raw materials to managing end-of-life products,” commented the organization.

    According to the association, aluminium is “the base metal for Europe’s transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy, helping realize the ambitions of the European Green Deal. The endless recyclability of our metal further contributes to decarbonization and the circular economy.”

    In terms of decarbonization, European Aluminium lists "cutting direct emissions using breakthrough technologies" and "electricity decarbonization," together with "maximising aluminium recycling," as initiatives that can assist the industry sector to achieve that aim.

    "The European aluminium industry is dedicated to continually improving our sustainability targets to deliver on our aims and purpose," the association said, referring to the 2015-2025 term as its "decade of action."

    According to European Aluminium, the 2025 ambitions pave the way for "a new goal of climate-neutrality by 2050."

    “We are poised to work with energy operators, policy makers and other stakeholders to develop an enabling legislative and funding framework that will help us reach our aim,” added the organisation. The Vision 2050 plan's aims, like the 2025 targets, include recycling.

    “In parallel, we are developing concrete pathways for our industry to decarbonize. For example, by increasing the share of aluminum recycling, we can reduce 39 million metric tons of CO2 per year by 2050,” stated the group.

    In Europe, various efforts and investments in aluminium recycling have been launched in recent months. Nova Met, a French company, inked a deal with a French port agency in January to build a 2,500-metric-tonne-per-month secondary aluminium manufacturing complex in Rogerville, near Le Havre. Constellium, located in France, has also said that it intends to boost the use of waste materials in its aluminium manufacturing operations, citing supply security as a rationale.

    Rising energy prices have impacted primary aluminium supply in Europe this winter, causing several primary producers to reduce output.Several scrap recycling companies in Europe, notably Sweden's Stena Recycling at a factory in Denmark and Greece's Konstantinidis Bros. SA, have invested in methods to extract more and cleaner aluminium waste.