In April 2020, European Aluminium launched its Circular Aluminium Action Plan, a strategy for achieving aluminium’s full potential for a circular economy by 2030.

The action plan aims to ensure that all end-of-life aluminium products are collected and recycled efficiently in Europe to maximise aluminium recycling rates and to keep the material in active use. It builds on the aluminium industry’s Vision 2050 and provides policy recommendations for the sector to achieve full circularity.

Aluminium recycling rates are already among the highest of all materials. With the right policy framework in place, 50% of Europe’s demand for aluminium could be supplied through post-consumer recycling by the middle of the century.

As a result, aluminium recycling could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 39 million tonnes per year by 2050 compared to today, which corresponds to a reduction of 46% in CO₂ per year in 2050, achieved mostly by replacing carbon intensive primary aluminium imports from outside Europe with recycled domestic post-consumer aluminium.

To read the press release in full, click here.