The production of the German aluminum industry showed mixed developments in the second quarter. Aluminum recyclers reported growth, producing over 725,000 tons of recycled aluminum between April and June (+4%). For the first half of the year, production levels are down 2% compared to the previous year (1.4 million tons).
Rob van Gils, President of Aluminium Deutschland, emphasized: “Aluminum recycling is a key component in Europe’s decarbonization efforts and holds significant growth potential. The availability of scrap is critical to this. However, large quantities are being exported out of Europe and are not available domestically. Without sufficient scrap supply, we cannot achieve climate neutrality."
Producers of aluminum semi-finished products reached nearly last year’s levels in the second quarter with 586,000 tons (-1%). In the first half of the year, they produced approximately 1.2 million tons of semi-finished products (-4%). Among them, producers of rolled products saw a relatively moderate decline, with 911,000 tons (-3%). Production of aluminum extrusion products, however, saw a sharper drop (-9% to 247,000 tons).
Van Gils added: “While other sectors of the aluminum industry are recovering, the extrusion sector remains in crisis. Weak demand for electric vehicles and the poor state of the construction industry continue to weigh heavily. The EU’s CO2 fleet targets for 2025 could boost EV production towards the end of the year. Moreover, the German government must create significantly more attractive conditions for e-mobility if it wants to meet its 2030 goals.”
Source: www.aluminiumdeutschland.de
