[SMM Aluminum Flash News] Alunorte Expands Drone Use to Improve Alumina Refinery Safety and Efficiency

Supply disruptions linked to Middle East tensions and shipping issues around the Strait of Hormuz have tightened aluminum can availability in India, causing Diet Coke shortages across several cities. As the product relied heavily on aluminum cans, delays in shipments and higher logistics and insurance costs increased packaging pressure. Industry estimates showed imported aluminum cans from the UAE, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia rose by about 25% to 30%, while domestic can makers were already operating near full capacity. Diet Coke has gradually returned to stores in 200 ml glass bottles, with prices rising to nearly INR 100 compared with around INR 30 for the previous can format.

The EU-funded RecAL project aims to upgrade Europe’s aluminum recycling system by addressing alloy contamination and downcycling challenges. Led by the Austrian Institute of Technology, the initiative brings together 19 partners from nine countries to develop 14 recycling technologies and the “RecAL Hub” digital platform to improve scrap sorting, traceability and reuse efficiency. The project seeks to increase the share of high-performance recycled aluminum through smarter and more digitalised recycling processes. Aluminum beverage can recycling rates in Europe have reached 76.3%, while automotive aluminum recycling exceeds 90%, highlighting the growing importance of secondary aluminum supply chains amid rising lightweight material demand.

[SMM Update] China's mainstream consumption areas saw secondary aluminum alloy ingot inventory decrease by 99 mt WoW from last Friday to 31,200 mt, mainly driven by destocking in Foshan and Ningbo.