Aluminum is a fundamental material for several industrial sectors, such as automotive, construction and packaging. However, the extraction and production process is highly energy-intensive, especially when it comes to primary aluminum, which is extracted from bauxite and requires a significant amount of electrical energy. One of the solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the aluminum industry is recycling, which allows energy to be saved and CO2 emissions to be reduced.
The objective that the European Union and industries are considering for 2050 is to achieve parity between the use of primary and recycled aluminum, in order to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease dependence on natural resources. But what is the current situation and why is it so important to invest in recycled aluminum?
Primary and recycled aluminium: the current situation
Today, global aluminium production is still heavily dominated by primary aluminium, that is, produced directly from bauxite, one of the most abundant raw materials on Earth. However, the mining and processing of bauxite entails significant environmental costs, such as massive energy consumption and the production of toxic waste, including “red slime,” a byproduct of the Bayer process for obtaining alumina (aluminum oxide) from bauxite.
In contrast, recycled aluminium, recovered from end-of-life products, requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium, making it a much more sustainable solution. Despite this huge benefit, today only about a third of global aluminium comes from recycling. This imbalance is due to a number of factors, including the lack of adequate recycling infrastructure in many countries, the high demand for aluminium that often outstrips the availability of recycled material, and technical issues related to the quality of recycled aluminium, which in some cases may not meet the same standards as primary aluminium.
How much aluminium do we use in Europe today?
In Europe, aluminum is one of the most used materials in industry. The growing demand for light vehicles, to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, has accelerated the use of aluminum in the automotive sector. In addition, the material is widely used in construction, for facades, structures and window frames, and in the packaging industry.
Currently, Europe consumes around 12 million tonnes of aluminium per year, a figure that is constantly increasing. However, only a part of this aluminium is recycled. According to data from theEuropean Aluminum Association, about 40% of the aluminium used in Europe comes from recycled material. Although this figure is higher than the global average, there is still a lot of room for improvement to reach the goal of parity between primary and recycled aluminum by 2050.
There is no shortage of singles virtuous examples of companies that have brought the In the automotive, for example, Audi is at the forefront in the use of aluminum recycling. In the sector of the packaging we find another virtuous example, that of the Italian consortium CiAl which contributes to making Italy the country where the most aluminium is recycled overall (73,6%). In the sector, fixtures, we find another Italian company, home, controlled by the Norwegian Hydro, which thanks to its aluminium, CIRCAL, produces doors and windows with 75% recycled material.
However, the increased demand for aluminum has led to an increase in primary aluminum production, with a consequent increase in greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, European governments, together with the industry, are trying to incentivize the use of recycled aluminum, with policies aimed at improving the collection and recycling of post-consumer materials.
Why use recycled aluminum
The transition to the use of recycled aluminum It's not just an environmental issue, but also an economic one. Recycled aluminum, being cheaper to produce than primary aluminum, can reduce costs for companies, especially in metal-intensive industries.
From an environmental perspective, recycled aluminum offers significant advantages. Its production process emits approximately 95% less CO2 than primary aluminum, contributing substantially to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, aluminum is a “infinite” material, meaning it can be recycled an unlimited number of times without losing its fundamental properties. This means that every tonne of recycled aluminium can be reused indefinitely, reducing the need to extract new material and allowing for a more efficient use of resources.
However, to achieve the goal of parity between primary and recycled aluminium by 2050, it is necessary overcome some challenges. First, it is essential to improve the collection and separation of aluminium waste. Currently, many aluminium products are not recycled properly, ending up in landfill or in less efficient recycling processes. Investments in recycling infrastructure and awareness campaigns to encourage the correct disposal of aluminium products will be key to increasing recycling rates.
Furthermore, it is important to develop technologies that allow improve the quality of recycled aluminum, making it more competitive with the primary one in applications where the technical characteristics of the material are critical, such as in the aerospace sector or in some automotive parts.