Measuring our industry’s environmental impact

European Aluminium promotes life cycle thinking and has been monitoring the industry’s environmental performance for more than 20 years. Progress is monitored through regular data collection and public reporting. In 2018, European Aluminium issued its third Environmental Profile Report, followed by a dedicated report for the aluminium refining industry in 2021 and 2024.

Environmental Profile Report 2024

Our 2024 Environmental Profile Report provides an in-depth look at the environmental impact of the aluminium value chain in Europe, covering primary production, recycling, and semi-fabrication processes like rolling, foil, and extrusion. This comprehensive report offers reliable, updated Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data to help measure the environmental performance of aluminium production in Europe.

Our report has been peer-reviewed by two independent life cycle assessment experts.

Key takeaways

• European Primary Aluminium Leads in Emissions Reductions European primary aluminium continues to set the standard in emissions reductions. Carbon emissions per kg of aluminium produced in Europe have fallen by 5% since 2015, now 60% lower than the global average, thanks to low-carbon energy sources like renewables. By 2023, 78% of the electricity used in European aluminium production came from renewable sources, up from 67% in 2015.
• Semi-Fabrication and Recycling Drive Significant Reductions Recycling and semi-fabrication processes have made strides in reducing emissions. Remelting aluminium emits 22% less carbon than in 2015, and the global warming potential (GWP) of extrusion has decreased by 44%. Recycling remains key, requiring only 5% of the energy needed for primary production and delivering substantial environmental benefits.
• Energy Crisis and High-Carbon Imports Threaten Climate Goals Since 2021, rising energy costs have led to the shutdown of additional EU smelters, increasing reliance on imports from higher-carbon regions. Imports now supply 51% of EU aluminium demand, with an 11% increase in the carbon footprint of these imports since 2021. This dependence on high-carbon sources jeopardises the EU’s climate ambitions, highlighting the need to bolster domestic primary production and recycling.

To request the full version of the report, please register here.

Environmental Profile Report for the Aluminium Refining Industry (2021)

To complement our Environmental Profile Report published in 2018, we conducted a dedicated study in 2021 on the environmental performance of aluminium refining processes used to produce cast alloy aluminium ingots from aluminium scrap.

Key takeaways

• The carbon intensity of the refining process decreased by 14% between 2010 and 2018.
• When including the benefits related to the recovery of the aluminium oxide from the salt slag recycling process, the environmental impacts of the refining process can be further decreased by 11%.
• The aluminium refining process allows for the recovery and generation of three value-added products, including recycled aluminum, fluxing salt and aluminium oxide from what is generally considered waste. These raw materials recovered from the refining process are used by various industries, including the aluminium, ceramic, and cement industries, as well as refractories.

To request the full version of the report, please register here.