FACE was founded with five objectives in mind:

• Achieving fair trade in raw aluminium and aluminium products across all EU markets.
• Supporting the competitiveness of the EU’s downstream aluminium sector, characterized by a very large number of small and medium-sized companies.
• Promoting aluminium and aluminium products as a superior choice for manufactures thanks to their significant economic, social, and environmental advantages.
• Monitoring and evaluating new and emerging technologies for the production, semi-fabrication, trade, and use of aluminium.
• Defending the interests of the downstream aluminium sector by actively working to ensure that optimal supply conditions for their raw materials are met.

Given the shrinking production of raw aluminium in the EU at the hand of structural factors and the development of the circular economy, FACE believes that a sound European industrial and trade policy has to place the interests of downstream companies at the core. Indeed, not only is the downstream sector responsible for 95% of all jobs in the aluminium sector, but it is the segment with the highest potential to grow.

But this potential is severely hamstrung by an inadequate tariff environment that has led to billions of euros in extra costs to SMEs looking to source primary aluminium.

As a result, FACE has advocated for the complete elimination of the EU’s import tariff structure on alloyed and not alloyed unwrought aluminium. FACE believes this state of affairs to be absurd: the EU has a growing deficit of primary aluminium that is currently above 74%.

Eliminating the 6% tariff structure is only one side of the coin: the second condition required to protect and increase the competitiveness of the downstream sector in the context of fierce and often unfair international competition is maintaining the 7,5% import tariff structure on semi-fabricated products.

With this goal in mind, FACE took the initiative at the turn of the millennium and embarked on an ambitious advocacy round - changing perceptions, establishing dialogues, educating decision makers, and presenting well-researched and convincing arguments on behalf of the industry as a whole.

FACE efforts fostered political and industrial debates which resulted in two meaningful - yet largely insufficient - measures taken by EU institutions :

• a suspension at 3% of the tariff for not alloyed unwrought aluminium
• a suspension at 4% for rolling slabs and extrusion billets in aluminium alloys

As a result, in the spring of 2019, FACE launched a new round of advocacy with the aim of completely liberalising the supply of unwrought aluminium and alloys into the European Union.

FACE strongly believes that bringing down to zero the import tariffs on unwrought aluminium is the only tool immediately available to policymakers to support the competitiveness of the EU downstream aluminium industry.

FACE stresses that three conditions need to be met to keep the EU aluminium industry competitive:

• Eliminating import tariffs for unwrought metal (not alloyed and alloyed)
• Protecting import tariffs on aluminium semis and foundry products
• Creating new and substantial schemes of support for the structurally uncompetitive smelting base that must be preserved.

To learn more, be sure to check out the FACE Strategic Vision Statement

FACE is the only European organisation solely dedicated to the interests of downstream aluminium users and consumers.

FACE action led to the partial suspension of the EU import tariff on unwrought aluminium, generating billions in savings to Europe’s aluminium consumers.

But the current tariff regime still forces consumers to pay as much as €120 more than they should for each tonne of aluminium bought (LUISS, 2019), putting them at a dangerous competitive disadvantage.

To make sure policymakers pay the attention that the downstream sector deserves, and understand the need to completely eliminate the tariff on imports of unwrought aluminium, we need your support.

Join FACE now!

If you are interested in becoming a member of FACE, or have any questions about our organisation, please get in touch with directly with the team or reach out to contact (@) face-aluminium.com.

About the Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe - FACE

With a membership comprised of many of the top aluminium downstream stakeholders, the Brussels-based Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe (FACE) is the voice of Europe’s aluminium users and consumers. Its members used 780,000 tonnes of aluminium in 2018, 

Since its founding in May 1999 by independent European aluminium transformers, FACE has advocated for a level playing field for the continent’s downstream aluminium sector, and has promoted the versatile metal by showcasing its economic, social and environmental virtues.

FACE is listed in the EU Transparency Register: 663240848326-52

Our Members

• Airoldi Metalli
• AL.EA.
• All Metal Services
• All.co Group
• Alluminio & Leghe (Publitec)
• Alluminio Sammarinese
• Almec Tech
• Altex
• Aluminium Rheinfelden Group
• Bodega
• Bonetti Group
• Breka
• BWA (the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade)
• Castellini
• Chiari Bruno
• CIFE Impianti
• CO.M.P.ES.
• Coroxal
• Cromodora Wheels
• Durox
• Edimet Aluminium Consulting
• Engitec
• Foundry Ecocer
• Gefond
• High Tech Aluminium
• Indinvest LT
• Italtecno
• Kubikenborg Aluminium AB (Kubal)
• Micron
• MM Automotive
• Officine Clarensi
• Paderno Estrusioni
• Profilati
• Studio Tecnico Giordano
• T.T. Tomorrow Technology
• Mario Conserva
• Roger Bertozzi
• Alberto Pomari
• Eugenio Paroletti
• Maurizio Sala

Observer members

• Gulf Aluminium Council
• Metalex
• Novusmet
• TT Consulting Inc
• Integrated Extrusion (United Integration for Metal Extrusion and Coating)