ESWET response to the European Commission Consultation on trade measures to ensure sufficient availability of aluminium scrap on the EU market
ESWET welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission’s consultation on possible trade measures to ensure sufficient availability of aluminium scrap on the EU market. Strengthening the EU’s circular economy, safeguarding industrial competitiveness and reducing dependency on imported primary raw materials require a reliable and affordable supply of secondary aluminium within Europe.
WtE plays a specific role in the circular economy by managing residual waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled. By safely treating these unavoidable fractions, WtE enables the recovery of metals – such as aluminium – that would otherwise be lost, while preventing environmental and health risks associated with landfilling or improper disposal.
Aluminium contained in residual waste cannot be recovered through conventional collection and recycling systems, but can be efficiently extracted through the treatment of incineration bottom ash (IBA) following WtE processes. In this way, WtE facilities contribute to Europe’s aluminium recycling system by retaining valuable materials within the EU.
Aluminium recovered from WtE residues therefore represents an already available and fully domestic source of aluminium scrap, which can be directly reintroduced into industrial value chains, supporting low-carbon aluminium production and reducing reliance on primary aluminium imports.
This contribution sets out ESWET’s perspective on the consultation and highlights how aluminium recovery from WtE residues can support the Commission’s objectives of strengthening circularity, ensuring scrap availability within the EU, and reinforcing the resilience of European aluminium value chains, in full alignment with the waste hierarchy and broader EU industrial and resource-security policies.