【SMM 알루미늄 속보】 영국, 글로벌 공급 리스크 속 재활용 알루미늄 가치 유지에 어려움 직면

International Aluminium Institute (IAI) data show that around 420 billion aluminum beverage cans enter the global market each year. While about 71% are recycled, the current can-to-can recycling rate is only around 33%. At this rate, repeated recycling through 2050 could generate about 207 billion recycled cans, while raising the closed-loop rate to 62% through better UBC sorting, remelting and logistics could increase this to around 685 billion cans. IAI estimates that only 47% of recycled cans currently return to new cans, compared with a potential 87% using existing technology, highlighting significant room to strengthen closed-loop recycling.

Germany's building sector generated around 130,000 mt of aluminum scrap in 2023, according to a report by AUF and European Aluminum, with AUF's recycling network collecting approximately 75,000 mt. Aluminum scrap recycling rates in Germany are close to 100%, while around 70% of scrap from building products is processed and remelted domestically, mainly into secondary extrusion billets and rolling ingots. Approximately 83,700 mt was recycled back into new building products, supporting a closed-loop aluminum system in the construction sector.

Crown Holdings reported that the average recycled aluminum content in its beverage packaging reached 67% in 2025, with total aluminum procurement at approximately 1.23 million mt. The company aims to raise recycled content in aluminum beverage cans to 80% by 2030, while committing to source at least 10% of its annual primary aluminum procurement from low-carbon producers by 2030. Renewable electricity accounted for 44% of Crown's global electricity mix in 2025, while combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions declined by around 30% from the 2019 baseline.