European Aluminium, an aluminium industry association, launched its Circular Aluminium Action Plan on Wednesday (15 April) setting out its aims to achieve a circular economy for aluminium by 2030.
The action plan builds on the industry’s Vision 2050 strategy and aims to ensure all end-of-life aluminium products are collected and recycled efficiently across Europe, making sure the infinitely recyclable material stays in active use.
Currently, aluminium recycling rates are among the highest compared to other materials: in Europe recycling rates are over 90 percent in the automotive and building sectors, and 75 percent for aluminium cans.
As post-consumer aluminium available for recycling is set to increase from 3.6 million tonnes per year in 2019 to 8.6 million tonnes by 2050, the plan states that the time between now and 2030 is crucial as ‘the policies that will be designed in the next five years will shape the future ways in which we produce and we consume’.
By maintaining high aluminium recycling rates, ‘50 percent of demand [for aluminium] could be met with post-consumer aluminium within 30 years’, and could have a significant positive impact on climate targets, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 39 million tonnes per year by 2050 – equivalent to a 42 per cent reduction of CO2 every year – by replacing primary aluminium imports with domestically recycled aluminium.
European Aluminium makes a number of recommendations to achieve this, including public investment in collection and sorting systems, such as separating aluminium from other waste streams at the kerbside and investing in modern sorting technologies such as Eddy Current separators.
Gerd Götz, European Aluminium’s Director General, said: “The aluminium industry is committed to helping deliver the European Green Deal, building on its long-standing commitment to sustainability. Our end goal is to achieve the full potential of aluminium circularity by 2030 and we won’t stop until we’ve achieved it. The Circular Aluminium Action Plan provides a roadmap for European policy makers and the European aluminium industry to work together to make this ambition a reality.”
Per Klevnäs, Partner at plan author Material Economics, added: “Aluminium recycling is a significant industrial and environmental opportunity for the EU. As more metal becomes available, the EU has a chance to build its economy increasingly on circular resources, capturing large value while reducing CO2 emissions. As the Circular Aluminium Action Plan shows, building this industry will take decisive policy support, new value chain collaborations, and technical as well as business model innovation.”
You can read the Circular Aluminium Action Plan in full on the European Aluminium website.
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