Europe Is Losing Valuable Aluminium: Why We Must Keep Scrap Here

Europe is bleeding strategic raw materials. In 2023 alone, over 1.2 million tonnes of aluminium scrap left the EU—critical resources we urgently need for our green transition and industrial resilience.

In this video, George Karkampasis, Director – Circular Economy & Raw Materials at European Aluminium, delivers a clear warning: Europe is sabotaging its own circular economy by allowing valuable aluminium scrap to be exported unchecked.

Scrap is not covered by the U.S. 25% aluminium import tariff—making the U.S. an increasingly attractive destination. Once abroad, this scrap is too often processed in regions with weak environmental standards, subsidised overcapacity (notably in China), or minimal waste oversight. Meanwhile, Europe forfeits the massive energy and CO₂ savings of recycling aluminium at home—where it uses just 5% of the energy required for primary production.

The EU must act—decisively and without delay.

The solution is a universally applied (erga omnes) export fee on aluminium scrap. This measure would counter distorted global competition driven by cheap labour, high carbon energy, and lax ESG compliance.