China's bauxite imports increased by 17% in December compared with the same period last year.

European Aluminium has welcomed the European Commission’s proposed review of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) Directive and adjustments to free-allocation fallback benchmarks for 2026–2030. The proposals include a €100 billion Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, an ETS Investment Booster and Innovation Fund support, while requiring Member States to direct 50% of national ETS revenues toward decarbonisation investment. The association also called for continued carbon leakage protection for aluminium producers, including extending indirect cost compensation through 2040 and keeping indirect emissions outside the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). It also proposed sector-specific benchmark methodologies for alumina refining, aluminium recycling and semi-fabrication, alongside stronger funding support for energy-intensive industries.

Neuman Aluminium has upgraded a melting furnace at its Marktl headquarters in Austria to improve its ability to process low-density aluminium scrap and meet growing customer demand for higher post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The retrofit includes Zmag’s Typhoon™ chip submersion system, alongside upgrades to the furnace door, refractory lining, bath surface area and holding capacity. The system was initially targeted to process one tonne per hour of aluminium scrap with a bulk density of around 375 kg/m³ while continuing to melt solid charge materials. During operation, it processed almost twice the planned scrap volume, while the Typhoon system itself is capable of submerging up to five tonnes per hour of machining chips. Neuman said the installation is the first Typhoon system in Europe and the first known application on a tiltable single-chamber melting furnace worldwide, with no negative impact observed on melt or finished-product quality.

More than US$1 billion worth of aluminium cans are sent to US landfills each year, representing around 11 million MWh of wasted energy, according to waste intelligence company Greyparrot. In 2023, around 61 billion of the 107 billion cans shipped in the US ended up in landfills, leaving the country with an aluminium can recycling rate of about 43%. The losses come as the US remains heavily dependent on imported aluminium. Greyparrot cited 2025 trade data showing US$26.5 billion in aluminium imports, with net imports accounting for around 60% of US supply. With recycled aluminium requiring around 95.5% less energy than primary production, improving used beverage can collection and recovery could provide an additional source of domestic secondary aluminium feedstock while reducing energy demand.