PRESS RELEASE – for immediate release
Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe – FACE
Tuesday 23 December 2025, Brussels
PRESS RELEASE
MARIO CONSERVA (FACE): “STOP THE SCRAP BLEEDING: KEEP THIS RAW MATERIAL AND SUPPORT ITS USE IN EUROPE”
“THE EU EXPORTS AROUND 1.2 MILLION TONNES OF ALUMINIUM SCRAP EACH YEAR — EQUIVALENT TO 25% OF ITS RECYCLING CAPACITY”
“The European Union is structurally deficient in primary aluminium and cannot afford to lose, through scrap exports, a strategic resource for the competitiveness of its industry.” This is the message from Mario Conserva, Secretary General of FACE – Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe, who stresses the urgency of a coordinated political and industrial response.
According to FACE data, the EU uses around 13 million tonnes of aluminium every year, including approximately 7.5 million tonnes of primary metal. Yet domestic production stands at just over 0.9 million tonnes, leaving a deficit of more than 85% of demand, which must be met through imports. Adding to this already critical situation is the import tariff on unwrought aluminium, which results in a surcharge of up to 6% on foundry alloys and an estimated annual cost of €1 billion for industry.
“We are producing increasingly less primary aluminium for structural reasons, mainly linked to energy costs, while demand continues to rise — with forecasts pointing to an additional 1 million tonnes between 2023 and 2028,” Conserva notes. “This is precisely why Europe must decisively prioritise recycling.”
Conserva recalls that the remaining domestic demand for aluminium and its alloys is met by secondary material, with over 5 million tonnes of internal scrap recycled each year — a process that saves 95% of the energy required to produce primary metal. However, much more could be achieved: recent assessments show that 1.2 million tonnes of scrap collected within the EU are exported annually, representing almost 25% of Europe’s internal recycling capacity.
“This is a haemorrhage,” Conserva warns, “which not only reduces the availability of secondary raw material for downstream manufacturers, but also places enormous pressure on thousands of SMEs specialised in scrap recovery and secondary metal production. These companies risk facing shortages of scrap, and they must be safeguarded so they can continue to invest, grow and ensure supply continuity for the downstream value chain.”
FACE therefore urges EU institutions to adopt robust measures, including:
- a high export tariff on aluminium scrap, to retain secondary raw material within Europe;
- incentives and support tools for recycling plants and secondary aluminium producers;
- regulatory and administrative simplification to facilitate investment in circularity;
- a review of import barriers on primary aluminium, which are unjustified in a severely deficit market.
“Recycling and the valorisation of scrap represent a key industrial lever for Europe’s future,” concludes FACE’s Secretary General. “Defending this resource means defending our SMEs, the competitiveness of European manufacturing, and our strategic autonomy in a sector that is essential for the energy and digital transitions.”
The press release is available here.
