Currently the EU and its aluminium industry are facing a growing crisis in aluminium scrap availability due to a sustained increase in exports, particularly to Asia and, more recently, the United States. The EU has been a net exporter since 2002 of aluminium scrap (CN7602), reaching a historic peak in 2024 with 1.3 million tonnes exported (approximately 75% to Asia).

At the same time, EU recycling furnace capacity has increased over the last few years due to investment made in response to recent policies promoted by the European Union. Aluminium companies have invested €700 million in building new recycling facilities, expanding existing ones and upgrading processes with the latest technologies. The urgency of the situation calls for immediate action to address the unfair market conditions for exports to other regions. A horizontal export fee (erga omnes) on all aluminium scrap is needed. Such a measure will address the continuously worsening situation and help level the playing field for European aluminium recyclers competing globally.

We are ready to work with policymakers and stakeholders to design a long-term strategy that solidifies the EU as a leader in the circular economy. Market forces will decide which scrap will leave or stay in Europe (EU/EFTA). This is not about protectionism but about correcting an unlevel playing field created by unfair trade policies and market distrotions in third countries. Restoring the balance in the aluminium scrap market will improve access to domestic scrap and help build a stronger, greener, and more self-sufficient industrial base.

The European Commission’s long-anticipated proposal for the revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation entered into force in April 2024 The proposal identifies progress in establishing a level playing field for EXTRA-EU shipments and the need to reduce the complexity and administrative burden associated with INTRA-EU waste shipments. This file is a key priority for the aluminium sector because it can help to ensure a continuous supply of scrap in Europe, establishes a level-playing field with third countries having to demonstrate equivalent environmental conditions to treat EU waste and maximises the sector’s contribution to the EU’s Low-Carbon and Circular Economy ambitions. We cooperate with policy makers, cross-industry partners, the full recycling value chain, and downstream partners to develop a holistic framework that can strengthen the transition to a circular economy.

The EU’s Waste Framework Directive lays down basic concepts and definitions related to waste management, including definitions of waste, recycling, and recovery. European Aluminium welcomes the Commission’s intention to revise this framework. Modernising waste legislation is a timely and necessary step to establish a resource-based framework fit for the transition to a Circular Economy and well-equipped to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal.

We are working with policy makers in developing the proposal and are providing relevant evidence and information on aluminium collection and recycling as well as the responsible management of industrial waste.

In 2023, the European Commission published the review of the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive. The file is now undergoing the co-decision process. The ELV Directive is pivotal to determining the destiny of ELVs – and the raw materials that can be found therein – in Europe. It will establish modernised rules for the collection, treatment, and data reporting for all car materials and components, including aluminium.
The use of aluminium in European cars has increased, mainly driven by electric vehicles and lightweighting, leading to an 18% rise between 2019 and 2022, with a steady increase being forecasted over the course of the next decade. Given the increasing use of aluminium in automotive applications, it has become critical for the European aluminium industry to contribute to the review of legislation concerning the mobility sector’s increased circularity and environmental sustainability.
Today, 95% of aluminium is recovered from the end-of-life vehicles. However, there is a huge potential for improvement in the quality of the aluminium fraction recovered. European Aluminium is working closely with the European Commission on this proposed Regulation. We want to ensure that the revised ELV Directive focuses on improving the quality of recycled materials to ensure their reuse in closed loops and high-quality applications and takes action against any illegal shipment or treatment of ELVs.

While cobalt and lithium are probably best known for being used in energy storage, batteries generally use a wide variety of minerals for the cathode, including aluminium. Aluminium is also widely used in battery enclosures.

For this reason, our sector wants to help establish a competitive and sustainable EU battery value chain and supports the EU Batteries Regulation that establishes mandatory requirements for all batteries placed on the EU market, including safety, sustainability, and carbon footprint requirements.

We support the use of life cycle assessment to assess the environmental performance of products, ambitious and realistic collection targets for portable batteries and the introduction of robust methodology and ensure a thorough impact assessment before considering the possibility of introducing the mandatory recycled content targets.

In November 2022, the European Commission published its revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste regulation (PPWR) which was adopted in February 2025. One of the primary goals of the proposed revision is to prevent packaging waste and make all packaging recyclable by 2030.

Aluminium is a popular packaging material for food, drinks and pharmaceutical products because it provides a total barrier function, safeguarding the product's integrity and prolonging its shelf life. Aluminium is a top performer among recycling packaging materials, with a with a 75% recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans in EU27, UK, EFTA, in 2022.

To achieve the EU’s goal of making all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2030, the new regulations will significantly reduce the generation of packaging waste by setting binding re-use targets, restricting certain types of single-use packaging and requiring economic operators to minimise the packaging used. The regulation covers the full life cycle of packaging. Importantly for aluminium beverage cans Deposit Return Systems are now mandated by 2029 – with exemption only if existing systems guarantee 80% of separate collection by 2026 and a plan for improvement. More generally from 2030 only recyclable packaging can be put on the market, this being assessed if it fulfils that (a) it is designed for material recycling, which enables the use of resulting secondary raw materials that are of sufficient quality that they can be used to substitute primary raw materials; and (b) when it becomes waste, it can be collected separately and sorted into specific waste streams without affecting the recyclability of other waste streams and recycled at scale.